Cardz The Incomplete Series
by Nonamenonamenonameplease
Summary: Five preteens are drawn into a war between good and evil like the kind they thought could only exist on Saturday morning television. Requires some knowledge of Pokemon, Digimon, YuGiOh, Dragonball, and Cardcaptor Sakura to understand.
1. 01: From Beginning

Note: Written during my final year of high school. I deleted some of the stories because I felt they came out bad; I have no copies remaining. Sorry.

Long story short, my writing skills had a long way ta go. Anyhoo, here are the main characters' profiles:

Zenith Baker/Pokéskid – A preteen residing on the North Side of Chicago, Zenith shares a residence with her mother and 8-year old sister Nadir. She's been best friends with Yuri Glinka and Tabitha Rebao ever since they were kindergarteners. Intelligent and a born leader, Zenith and her sister are keen on Pokémon.

Yuri Glinka/Digiball – Yuri is one of Zenith's longtime friends. She's the classy one of the group, famous for wearing clashed outfits. She also has a habit of nitpicking at some of the most insignificant things in life. Yuri fancies herself on Digimon.

Tabitha Rebao/Duel Dune – Tabitha is another longtime friend to Zenith, alongside Yuri. She's a born actor just bustling full of energy. About the only other thing Tabitha enjoys better than that is watching Yu-Gi-Oh and collecting Duel Monsters cards (even though she doesn't actually play the game).

Laurel Maize/Tenku – Transferred from the West Side of Chicago, Laurel's been with the group only since 3rd grade. Her bad memories were replaced with better ones thanks to a friendly gesture from Zenith (Yuri and Tabitha eventually followed suit). Even though she's much sweeter now, Laurel still retains her sporty behavior and urban skills for special situations. Her favorite franchise is the Dragonball trilogy.

Dana Chavez/Captor Corporal – The only boy in the group, Dana recently transferred from Roswell, NM. Due to his shyness, he doesn't say a whole lot, but he knows his manners. An only child living with his father, Dana likes Cardcaptor Sakura.

Jenga – Jenga is one real mutant and archenemy to the Cardz. She used to be known as Iris Sanford, a notorious criminal orchestrator in Chicago. Still second in infamy to Al Stalone, Jenga rules Chicago's criminal empire with an iron tentacle.

Summer drew to a close little by little. In just three more days, the new school year would be afoot. A Shawnee girl made her way towards a convention held at Buckingham Memorial Fountain. Her black hair done in a ponytail and ear tails, she was clad in a green sleeveless shirt, dark-beige pants, black-and-light-blue-striped socks, and blue tennis shoes. "Hey, Zenith!" a voice called. Zenith faced the direction of the voice and found a Russian friend of hers run up to her.

"Hello, Yuri." Yuri had yellow hair topped with a pink bow. She wore a green sweater, yellow shorts, light-yellow socks, and dark-gray slip-ons.

"Looking good, I see. Whaddaya think of my outfit? Am I ready for the 6th grade or what?"

Zenith inspected her friend. "Good as usual. I must say, those slip-ons of yours clash with the rest of the outfit."

"Well, you know me. I'm a clashing mistress."

"You can say that again," came another voice. Yuri and Zenith faced another friend, who happened to be of Kenyan descent. Her long tan hair went all the way down her back, and she had on a yellow t-shirt, a red skirt with orange polka dots, light-blue socks, pink tennis shoes, and a blue headband. "So, I miss anything?"

"Not at all, Laurel," Zenith answered, inspecting the dark-skinned girl, "This is definitely the inner you."

"Yeah, well, I did have help from Yuri."

"Only happy to help," Yuri said. Laurel did a double take on her.

"I say, girl. Your outfit is clashed yet again. You never do get tired of it, do ya?"

"Nope. I'm a very original person."

"La de dah de dah…" A Mandarin girl skipped her way up to the trio. She wore a light-blue jumper, white t-shirt, socks, and tennis shoes. Her orange hair was tied up in pigtails with one red bobble each. "Hi!"

"And Tabitha makes four," Laurel said.

"What's going on?"

"I know what yer gonna say: My outfit is clashed," Yuri said.

"Oh, I know that," Tabitha said.

"Well, now that we're all here, shall we proceed to Buckingham Memorial?" Zenith announced.

"Girlfriend, I am there," Laurel answered. And soon enough, the tetrad found themselves walking down the sidewalk together as friends should. For the time being, it seemed nothing could spoil their day.

"Let's talk about the new school year while we're walking," Tabitha suggested, "I have Ms. Nekron as my homeroom teacher."

"Yeah, same here," Laurel chimed.

"Me too," Zenith said.

"Y'know, I heard there's supposed to be a new face joining the class," Yuri informed, "Though, I don't know if it's a boy or girl."

"If no one gets to them first, let's make 'em one of us!" Tabitha said.

"Why?" Zenith asked, "We already have a full group."

"Nope," Laurel said, "We're only a quartet. You need five to make the group official."

"While we're at it, don't forget the convention," Yuri reminded, "I also heard they're giving out extra-rare cards for low prices. Not only that, but also English-dubbed movies that won't be out for a couple more years."

"Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Zenith commented, "What were the chances of us catching it?"

"Oh, who cares?" Tabitha said, "I hope they have the Five-Headed Dragon!"

Meanwhile, not far behind them, a Hispanic man and his son helped some movers unload stuff from a moving van into their new house. The man, clad in a silver turtleneck, olive shorts, and dark-brown sandals, had his gray hair parted from side to side. The boy wore a long-sleeved blue-and-purple-striped shirt, white cutoff overalls, purple socks, and black tennis shoes. With his pink hair combed into cat ears, one wouldn't think the two were father and son. "Tell me again, Dad," the boy said as they carried boxes inside, "What'd we move up here for?"

"To move on, Dana," the father answered, "You remember what happened to your mother back in Roswell. It was just time to move on."

"I guess. Chicago sure is one whopper of a city compared to Roswell. And a larger city means bigger trouble."

"I know. But we can't stay cowering in smaller places forever. Sometimes you gotta take these things head-on." After another box or so, Dana's father stopped him.

"What is it, Dad?"

Dana's dad handed him a map of Chicago. "You like anime, right?"

"Sure do."

"There's an anime convention happening at Buckingham Memorial Fountain. You go on over there and leave the unpacking to the adults. Who knows, you may even make some friends. Go for it." He gave Dana a pat on the back to get him going.

Unbeknownst to most of the people in Chicago today, a criminal gang drove a stolen school bus to an abandoned chemical plant. A parked bus gave way to running inside with a stolen diamond and a box of fried calamari in hand. But they absentmindedly left the vehicle's door open, allowing a cat and spider to sneak in. The group ran up several floors until they heard sirens outside. Police cars and officers naturally stood all around. "Iris Sanford, we have the building surrounded!" an officer called to the boss, "Come out nice and easy with your hands up!" The group looked momentarily out the window before bolting to the other side of the room. But Iris fumbled and ran smack dab into the control panel of a tank full of noxious gases and brought about a vicious chain reaction.

"Uh, boss?" one of the others said.

"Oh, shoot," Iris commented. Explosions belched from the building, causing the police and Iris' associates to recoil far. Unfortunately, Iris hadn't a chance to escape herself. Doused in all sorts of gases, she and her food and gem were thrown atop the bus. The cat and spider couldn't get away, either. Iris, the bus, spider, cat, calamari, and diamond turned into clay and became 'molded' by the gases. After rolling around a bit, a monster stood in the same spot as all contributors. It had a diamond body, cephalopod tentacles, a bus for a head, a cat eye on the left windshield, a spider eye on the right, and a sharp-toothed mouth. The gases swirled around in the air only for her to absorb them. "What happened? Am I dead?" The monster, which turned out to be Iris after all, admired her reflection in a puddle and now spoke in a deeper voice. "What? My beauty! I'm a freak!" Suddenly, Iris unleashed a humongous oral blast that blew the chemical plant to bits. Then she thought upon this. "Oooooooh! I take it all back! I wonder…?" Iris breathed up some gas and moved her tentacle arms around, making the gas 'obey' and take form. It was now a green cloud with a distorted mouth and black eye slits. It observed its surroundings, faced Iris, and spoke in a gassy, feminine voice.

"Who am I? Where did I come from? Who are you?" Now Iris knew the truth. No longer was she a just a orchestrator, but a supervillain at that. And she knew exactly what to do even if it felt like something out of a comic book.

"I am Jenga, your creator and commander. What do you feel like doing right this very moment?"

The gas cloud thought hard. "I haven't the slightest clue in the world. Maybe poison somebody, or stink something up?"

"Then you shall consume this entire city with, well, yourself. I hereby name you Stench!"

"Stench, huh? I like the sound of that."

"Rise up! Intoxicate the city!" With a gassy grunt, Stench complied and flew up to where she slowly spread out in all directions. Back on the ground, Jenga's gang gathered in front of her. The police had long since been scared off.

"Well, I'll be darned," one said.

"Boss, what's the deal with the new getup?" another asked.

"I am no longer Iris Sanford. You may now refer to me as Jenga."

"Sure thing, boss," a third chimed, "But y'know, we heard and saw everything. Still, good going with the coppers."

"How do we escape that gas?" a fourth asked.

"Climb inside my head, and it won't have any effect."

"You sure you got enough room inside?" the first one asked. In response, Jenga retracted her main body and transformed back into the same bus they rode on.

"No more questions here!" the third declared, "The boss knows her stuff!" The lackeys quickly climbed inside, and Jenga transported them away. As there presently existed no opposing force powerful enough to stop this new threat, it was only a matter of time before Chicago and its inhabitants fell like the Roman Empire.

"Alright!" Tabitha exclaimed while admiring her purchase. At the convention, the girls wasted no time buying extra-rare anime merchandise. No one could question what expressions of delight they shared alongside everyone else.

"So, you finally got that Five-Headed Dragon you always wanted, huh?" Zenith said.

"Uh huh! You get what you want?"

"Yep. Ho-Oh's all mine."

"This convention is something else, eh, Yuri?" Laurel said as they browsed, "I got Movie 9 of Dragonball Z even though it's still not due for another few months or so!"

"You said it," Yuri agreed, "Same with Digimon Movie 4. Think we'll meet the new kid today?"

"I'm not sure. There're a lot of people attending today. Maybe we will, and maybe we won't. I don't know."

Elsewhere at a Cardcaptor Sakura concession stand, Dana browsed on and on for what seemed like an eternity. A woman at thecounter noticed his indecision and so lent a helping hand. "What'll it be, son?"

"I don't know. They all seem good."

"Mind if I make a suggestion?" the woman asked, and she took out a card from a hidden shelf, "How about this Song card?"

Dana jolted at those words produced at least three dollars, and made his purchase. "Sold! By the way, how'd you know I was looking for this particular card?"

The woman just shrugged and smiled. "I didn't."

Needless to say, the festivities certainly wouldn't last much longer. Zenith's eyes darted up towards the sky and unwittingly caught Stench's bad behavior. Given her position as the group's brainy leader, the Shawnee girl's intellect allowed no risks. "Anyone besides me notice the strange pollution up yonder?"

"Oh, Chicago's full of it," Laurel commented.

"No, she's right," Tabitha said, "I can see it, too. It's got a funny face. And it's spreading out like a bed sheet." As a bonus for the upcoming mass chaos, a warning alarm went off. People only stared around in confusion without actually departing, though.

"Did someone leave their biscuits in the oven again for too long?" Yuri asked.

"That's no oven alarm," Laurel said, "I think we're under attack." And no sooner did she make that statement when some officers arrived on the scene to encourage evacuation.

"Everyone clear the premises immediately!" an officer called out, "This is not a drill! Get to an underground shelter at once in order to escape the gas! I repeat, clear out!" The people required no further instigations to run for dear life as the gas immediately closed in.

"Oh no!" someone cried out, "I dropped my Exodia set!"

"Forget it!" another person said, "Let's just save ourselves!" Tabitha happened by long enough to pick up the five cards for study.

"Hmm…"

"No time to lollygag over cards, Tabitha!" Yuri said, "Let's go!" The Chinese girl put the five in her pocket and joined everyone else. Dana, hidden behind a rack of anime-embedded clothing, held a shirt over his mouth and nose using one hand and the Song card in his other. But he dropped it on the pavement for the day's fourth accident (the first three being Iris Sanford's mutation, Zenith's 'discovery' of Stench, and Tabitha locating an Exodia set, all in that exact order).

"Whoops." Dana held his breath and knelt down to pick it up as the gas surrounded him. He then covered his mouth again and waited for help to arrive, but what happened next saved the authorities the trouble. "What the?" Dana's card instantly exhibited a strange emanation. He watched it fly up around his head before it touched down on his chest and started a transformation. Meanwhile, the girls put their own shirts over their faces and dashed through the gas themselves. They each just so happened to have their favorite cards in hand: Zenith; Ho-Oh, Yuri; Betamon, Tabitha; Five-Headed Dragon, and Laurel; Tenshinhan. Those soon acted as peculiarly as Dana's Song card.

"Hey, what's with our cards?" Zenith asked.

"You got me," Laurel said. Same reactions.

"What's happening?" they cried out. After the green light died down, four anime-composed figures stood in their places. Zenith looked like the girl from Pokémon Crystal: sky-blue bandanna, sky-blue jacket-like t-shirt overlaying her green sleeveless shirt, black sunglasses and a periwinkle skirt. Yuri now wore a Taomon costume topped with MagnaAngemon's helmet, and Angewomon's ribbon was wrapped around her arms and over her head. Tabitha had on a white dress with the Millennium Symbol on the torso region, sandals, brass snake-adorned tiara, brass necklace, and brass wristbands. And Laurel resembled Goku with Tenshinhan's eyes. The girls studied themselves.

"Wow!" Tabitha exclaimed, "Where'd I get this dress and jewelry?"

"Holy doughnuts!" Laurel declared, "I have triple vision and big muscles!"

"Surely there must be an explanation for this," Yuri said.

"I wonder…?" Zenith commented, "Thunder!" She powered up with and released electricity all over, causing some damage and shocking the others. But it had no effect on Stench.

"Hey, watch it," Laurel said, "What's the idea anyway?"

"Sorry. I meant to get this cloud, but I couldn't control myself."

"Wait a second," Tabitha said, "Do any of you remember in all those TV shows with heroes and villains when someone is unexpectedly chosen to do great things?"

"Yeah, why?" Yuri asked.

"Don't you understand? People aren't just given powers for nothing. Apparently, we're the only ones who can defend Chicago. Why else would we be the way they are?"

"Duh," Laurel said, "It was an accident. I may still be a street kid, but I'm no crime fighter."

"Actually, I agree with Tabitha," Zenith said, "I don't wanna stand around and watch innocent people get poisoned by this thing. Watch out now. Fly!" Zenith flew up in the air and gave Stench a Mega Punch between the eyes. But a solid move like that obviously had no effect on something made of gas. "Huh?"

"Tell me, young lady," Stench said, "What did you hope to accomplish with that technique?"

"Flamethrower!" But that also went right through Stench.

"I third the motion," Yuri said, and she and Tabitha flew up to help Zenith, "Pepper Breath!" Still no effect.

"It's not working!" Zenith said, "She's still fresh!"

"Let me try!" Tabitha suggested, "Let's see how she likes Garuda The Wind Spirit!" She grew Garuda's wings and tried blowing Stench away. It seemed to work until the monster instantly retaliated as a tornado and smacked them down.

"Ol' Stench can't be hurt so easily," Stench taunted, "I don't even have to fight any of you as long as I carry out Mistress Jenga's orders."

"Who's Jenga?" Yuri asked, but Stench ignored her. Meanwhile, Laurel followed suit and took a shot at the fight herself.

"Special Beam Cannon!" But just like everything else, it passed through Stench without affecting her. "Oh, a windbag, eh? We'll see!" Laurel flew up and unsuccessfully barraged Stench with kicks and punches. "Ack, this is getting me nowhere. But I'll keep fighting."

"Driving Snow!" Tabitha bombarded the gassy behemoth with a blast of winter followed by Zenith's Blizzard and Yuri's Ice Winder. Although the attacks affected Stench this time, such a display produced unforeseen side effects.

"Hey, watch where you're blowing!" Laurel called.

"It's working!" Zenith said, "Keep it up!" Just then, rain fell down from the sky and hurt Stench even more.

"Where'd the rain come from?" Tabitha asked, "Yuri, was that one of your attacks?"

"Nope. How about you, Zenith?"

"No."

"What's going on around here?" Laurel asked as she rejoined the group, "Who's pouring the rain? Not me, that's fer sure."

"It was me," came Dana's voice from behind. The girls faced him, not knowing who he was and vice versa. Dana wore Syaoran Li's costume in Meilin Li's colors: red hat, red shirt with orange lining the wrists and neck a black and beige symbol on the chest, red moccasins, beige pants, and a dark-gray mask covering his mouth and neck.

"You caused that rain?" Yuri asked.

"I sure did. Figured you four could use a hand with this thing."

"Who are you?" Zenith asked.

"Look, she's still here!" Tabitha pointed out. The five landed on the ground, ready for anything that came their way.

"That's correct," Stench replied, "I've poisoned this entire city, and now for the next!"

"Not likely!" Laurel said, and she transformed into the same putty-like substance as Majin Boo, only gassier. Then she began absorbing.

Taking a page out of her friend's book, Zenith expressed her own abilities of such. "Looks like it all comes down to this. Giga Drain!" The remaining three moved around to different sections, using almost entirely different techniques.

"Hmm…" Tabitha pulled the Exodia set out of her pocket, which demonstrated a magnetic attraction. The pieces each flew around and attached themselves respectively to her head, legs, and arms. Afterwards, Tabitha made a toothy scowl and was instantly held back to a nearby brick wall by chains. She broke free in a second, stomped towards Stench, and unleashed a blast that destroyed more of the cloud.

"Gate Of Destiny!" Yuri opened up a hole in the sky to keep things going. But it soon got out of control and began taking in other things as well. "Whoa! Power off! Off, I say!" The gate obeyed and disappeared. Stench was now the size of a 5-year old, and Dana finished her.

"I'd like you to say hello to my friend Sakura." Dana made a pose to unleash a Sakura-shaped cloud out from his back. It swung the wand down on Stench and imprisoned her remnant in a card. After staring momentarily, Dana instantly burned the card in his hand. "And that's that."

Later that day, the four girls watched a news report from an electronics shop. Their male ally had long since disappeared before they had a chance for making each other's acquaintance. Yet they couldn't help wondering how much this whole thing surprised him, if at all. "Earlier today, these five figures saved Chicago from a toxic cloud," an anchorwoman told her viewers, "I don't know about the rest of you out there, but they're definitely friends of mine."

"Looks like we're famous," Laurel commented.

"Excuse me," a boy asked them, "Have any of you by chance seen my Exodia cards?"

In an instantaneous response, Tabitha reached into her pocket and pulled out the same set she picked up. "Are these the ones?"

The boy accepted them and took a look. "Yeah, this is it. But I don't understand. You could've just kept 'em for yourself."

"Nah, I'm not that kind of person."

"Thanks. I owe you one." And the boy rushed off.

"Who do you suppose that guy was who helped us earlier?" Yuri asked.

"Another good question," Zenith said, "I think we'll find out sooner than we realize."

The End


	2. 02: Introductions

"Dana, are you all set?" Mr. Chavez asked. Three days had passed since the incident with Stench, and the first day of school came. Strangely enough, Jenga without explanation gave everyone time to recover. And even though everybody in city limits now had more reason for panic, that couldn't stop anyone from their work or schooling. Who knows, maybe the same mysterious heroes before would remain around to ensure maximum security alongside governmental forces.

"Sure, Dad."

"Remember, I want you to be good and make some friends today. Understand?"

"As always."

"Okay. Have a good day." And Dana promptly exited the house and boarded the school bus, sitting nowhere and with no one in particular. At the very back, Zenith and her three friends discussed the previous action-packed events during the ride. After all, how often do these things ever happen in real life?

"Think we'll run into this Jenga that Stench mentioned?" Tabitha asked.

"Definitely," Yuri answered, "Who knows, we may meet Jenga and at the same time find out who that strange boy was."

"I place my bets on someone at the convention," Zenith suggested, "After all, Cardcaptor Sakura is an anime."

"But how can you be so sure?" Laurel asked, "We were the last ones there."

"A hunch, I guess. You can never tell. Anyone could've been as unfortunate, or should I say, fortunate, to receive superpowers from their favorite anime. All I know is that he's made it clear that he's a friend of ours."

"In any case, we can't let anyone know what happened," Yuri said, "When I returned home that day, my parents squeezed me for hours."

"Tell me about it," Tabitha agreed, "Not that anybody would believe us even if we confessed." Fortunately, neither they nor Dana bothered spilling the beans. The conversation naturally made the ride seem shorter than usual despite there being not much more than five miles of distance between their neighborhood and the school. Before any of the passengers knew it, the school seemed to appeared before them in seconds flat. The girls casually made their way to their lockers and put their stuff inside, all the while noticing Dana doing the same. Like most new kids, he paid no attention to his surroundings. Nobody bothered greeting him yet.

"Who do you suppose lies over yonder?" Laurel asked.

"Good question," Zenith said, "I haven't seen 'im around before. He must be the new kid."

"I'd like to meet him, but I can't move a muscle," Yuri said, "What's wrong with me?"

"Maybe now's just not the right time," Tabitha suggested. And no sooner did she speak when the school bell rang over the speakers.

"Hate that sound," Laurel said on the way to Ms. Nekron's room, "Let's meet 'im at lunch. Never a better time to greet. I should know."

"Then it's unanimous," Zenith decided, "We'll meet the new boy at lunch. Yuri, you're always on top with the menu. What're we having?"

"Macaroni and cheese, I believe," Yuri answered. The girls and their classmates took seats, and in walked Dana accompanied by a middle-aged woman. She had fluffy red hair and wore a white button-up shirt, pink-and-black-striped jacket, and blue pants. The kids knew it could be no other than their teacher, Ms. Nekron.

"Good morning, students!" Ms. Nekron greeted.

"Good morning, Ms. Nekron!" the class greeted back.

"Before we get started, I'd like you all to meet a new face in our room this year." She faced Dana. "What's your name?"

"Dana Chavez."

"Well, Dana, you may take a seat next to that boy in the red hat over there." And Dana complied. Tabitha looked his way momentarily and then faced forward again. For some reason, she couldn't help feeling strange deep inside just seeing his face. And no, it wasn't a crush. Did Tabitha meet Dana elsewhere? Why did she contain a feeling of familiarity towards him? But those questions must wait.

Meanwhile, on Chicago's West Side, a school bus on autopilot headed straight for an abandoned lot. No ordinary school bus, either! With the spider and cat eyes clearly visible on the windshield, it had to be Jenga. But anyone who caught sight of the bus wondered not about the eyes but the fact that it contained no driver. Most figured it was just on autopilot and that the driver was hiding somewhere inside. Then again, nobody could say much about the inside due to the darkened windows. Jenga turned left and transformed into the same bus-headed, tentacled diamond that created a mess three days before. Her eyes darted around, as she'd apparently been expecting someone. "I'm here!" she called out, "Are you gonna show your mugs or what?" In response, out from behind the sagebrush came a ghetto duo.

"W'sup, Miss Sanford?" the girl asked.

"I am no longer Iris Sanford. Call me Jenga."

"Okay, Jenga," the boy said, "Word has it on the streets that you're about the last word. We hear you're s'posed t'be pretty powerful."

"You heard correctly, young ones. I remain the head of all criminal activity here in Chicago. And I'd be happy to give a demonstration." Jenga walked towards an abandoned apartment building, uprooted it, and tossed it sky high. She then produced six energy balls from her tentacles and used them to blow up the projectile. The duo was stunned.

"Chihuahua," the girl commented.

"Radical!" the boy added, "But what happened to yer team, the ones who helped you steal that diamond?"

"I had to isolate myself in order to keep from attracting too much attention as well as practice controlling these new abilities."

"No offense, but I think the first one failed," the girl continued.

"Never mind that. What else would you like me to show you?"

"I know!" the boy declared, "Make another one of those green clouds! That was so cool the way it covered the entire city."

"There's a thought," Jenga admitted, "But that idea is now officially overrated. I have a better one." She coughed out a bit of gas onto the ground which turned black before transforming. It took on the form of a pitch-black, featureless, muscle-bound figure with a rounded head, leathery skin, and sharp toes. The only differentiating trait were its white pupil-less eyes.

"Radical!" the girl said, "Whaddaya call this thing?"

"I call it a Leatherhead," Jenga said.

"Make more! Make more!" the two kids said. Jenga nodded and coughed out more tiny gas clouds.

As this happened, a certain five back at school remained unaware of future trouble. "Does school lunch rock or what," Laurel declared.

"You said it," Yuri said, "Nobody can stereotype our school." The girls' attention was soon drawn to Dana. He sat on a far end all by himself but didn't seem to mind.

"Huh," Zenith said, "We've got ourselves a loner."

"Now's our chance!" Tabitha said, and they walked towards Dana and sat down next to him, "Hi!"

Dana looked up from eating. "Hello."

"Why are you sitting here all by your lonesome?" Laurel asked, "Why aren't you sitting with the other boys?"

"I didn't know that was a new school rule."

"It's not a new rule," Yuri said, "We're curious as to why you're not sitting with anyone."

"All the other kids just bore me. All they ever wanna talk about anymore is the bad things in town. Makes me wonder what happened to the more optimistic side of life, like a game of cards."

"Y'know, we never introduced ourselves," Zenith said, "I'm Zenith Baker."

"I'm Tabitha Rebao."

"My name's Laurel Maize. Just try not to wear it out."

"I'm Yuri Glinka."

"And as you all know, I'm Dana Chavez."

"So Dana, you like anime?" Laurel asked.

"Sure do. For me, Cardcaptor Sakura is where it's at."

"Eh, I'm a Dragonball fan. Mostly Z."

"I like Yu-Gi-Oh," Tabitha said.

"I find Digimon to be very prestigious," Yuri chimed in.

"My sister and I enjoy playing on the Pokémon cartridges on Game Boy, and I even like to collect the cards," Zenith said, "No offense to some people, but I find a fraction of the anime itself irksome."

"How do you make your hair stick up into cat ears?" Yuri asked, "I think it's kinda cute."

"Thanks," Dana said, "As for my hair, it's an old Spanish secret. My mom taught it to me before she passed away."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Zenith said, "Same thing happened to my dad way back when."

The rest of the school day passed on by without much fuss. Both opposing factions played together at recess and made a fine work team during class time. Yet, even though none brought up their newfound superhero duties, a certain Chinese girl still wondered about the new boy. At day's end, rather than take the bus home, all thought they'd just walk it.

"What street you live on?" Laurel asked.

"Polk St., I believe," Dana answered.

"What a coincidence," Yuri said, "That's where we live. Why don't you join us?"

"Okay." But before they could move even one step, Zenith flinched.

"What's up, Zenith?" Tabitha asked.

"I have the best hearing here. And it sounds like the tossing of automobiles and lampposts." Suddenly, an explosion appeared right before the kids. The girls felt nervous, for they didn't want to reveal the startling truth to Dana. Little did they know he felt the same.

"Dana, if you'll kindly excuse us, we just realized something we had to do," Laurel said, "We'll catch up with you tomorrow."

"Well, it was nice meeting you. See you later." The girls ran in one direction while Dana ran the opposite way. It wasn't until Tabitha looked back that Yuri noticed a funny look on her face and realized she hadn't said much that day.

"Hey, what's up?" Yuri asked.

"Feels like we've met Dana before. I've seen those eyes and heard that voice elsewhere. And where do you suppose he's headed?"

"No time to worry about that now," Zenith said, "We've a city to save again!" The girls ran all the way up to the Loop, where Jenga's newfangled Leatherheads wasted no time in laying the area to waste. Catching their breath, the young females quickly hid behind some trashcans and plotted their strategy.

"We were able to transform before," Laurel said, "How do we do it again?" In response, Tabitha took out her Five-Headed Dragon card from her pocket to place before her feet and waited for a reaction. But nothing happened, and the Leatherheads continued their rampage.

"For once, even I'm stumped," Zenith said, "I don't get it. How do we transform if these cards won't work?"

"Hey, I know!" Yuri suggested, pulling out her Betamon card, "Maybe we have to do it ourselves."

"I beg your pardon?" Laurel asked.

"Our cards attached themselves to us last time. Perhaps it only happens the first time through, and we must provide the reaction in future battles. I've seen this happen on television before."

"Smart idea, Yuri," Zenith declared, "Okay, let's do it." The girls lined up, held out their favorite cards, and smacked them into their chests. Having transformed into their superpowered alter egos, they ran out into the opening and prepared to confront the Leatherheads.

"Excuse us," Tabitha announced, and the Leatherheads stopped rampaging and faced the girls.

"We are the Leatherheads," one answered in a masculine voice, "You must be the ones Mistress Jenga told us about."

"Yep," Laurel said, "And you homies mind telling us who is this Jenga character everyone's talking about?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," another said, and the fight broke out. The girls really had their hands full this time since the Leatherheads exhibited greater military skills and training than any soldier or warrior that ever existed. Somehow, the girls managed fending them off, but not without receiving blows every now and then.

"Mega Claw!" But as quickly as Yuri whacked a few Leatherheads with MetalGreymon's attack, she clutched her hand. "Ouch! What'd these things eat for breakfast, cement?"

"No fooling," Laurel agreed, holding her foot, "Now I know how the Z Fighters felt battling Coola's robots." Eventually, the Leatherheads forced them into a pile and administered a merciless pounding.

"How …ow! ...do …ow! …we …ow! …stop them?" Tabitha cried. Suddenly, a wall of fire threw the Leatherheads back for a loop. The girls picked themselves up and found a transformed Dana at their aid.

"That's no way to treat ladies, bubs," he shot out.

"Some of us are ladies," a third Leatherhead replied in a feminine voice, and the fighting resumed. There may have been five transformed kids on the scene, but the monsters remained stronger. Still, the girls decided an extra hand gave them a greater chance of winning. The kids soon gathered side-to-side and stared ahead while their shadowy opponents charged at them, all wanting to end it.

"Alright, everyone," Zenith commanded, "It all comes down to this. Let's make like Mewtwo and Mew and blast them together!"

"I'm there!" Yuri exclaimed. The kids powered themselves up and waited till the last minute, during which they shot a quintuple blast that blew the Leatherheads to kingdom come. They knew it true since no trace of the monsters remained when the dust cleared up.

"Thank goodness that's over with," Laurel commented.

"You saved our necks for the second time," Yuri said to Dana, "Who exactly are you?"

"Good question," Dana said, "I could ask the same thing about you."

"You weren't planning to leave me out of the introductions, now were you?" came a deep voice. The kids faced the monster now known as Jenga landing on the scene.

"Are you supposed to be another of Jenga's creations?" Tabitha asked.

"Silly kid. I am Jenga."

"I believe it," Zenith said, "Sometimes looks are everything. Care to explain yourself?"

"What's there to explain? Isn't it obvious how much more than a simple crime boss I've become? You think I'd squander new opportunities with great power just for a bunch of rubies and dollars when I can lay the planet itself to waste?"

"Y'know, it's rude of you to answer other people's questions with even more questions," Yuri said.

"Let's see whatcha got, toughie!" Laurel retorted, and a new fight ensued. The kids attempted to hold Jenga down, but their effort was in vain as she smacked them about instantly.

"Hyper Beam!" Zenith opened fire upon Jenga via a blast of blinking yellow light, but the monster acted quickly. She detached her head and limbs and allowed her diamond body to absorb the blast. The diamond then retaliated with a shower of smaller, dispersed blasts. The kids nevertheless had just as much more. "Barrier!"

"Millenium Shield!"

"Shield card!"

"Shield Of The Just!" As for Laurel, she put her arms up in front of her face to block the attack. Jenga then put her pieces back together ready for more until one of her tentacles met a Cut attack courtesy of Zenith. It dropped to the ground in several pieces. Taking a page out of the Native American girl's book, the others worked their own powers on the other four tentacles. Laurel also bit some off and spit it back out.

"Tastes like calamari," the Kenyan noted, "Very awful calamari."

"It is," Yuri said.

"No time to eat!" Zenith called, "We gotta finish her off!" Before they could lift a muscle, however, Jenga sprouted new tentacles in seconds flat and held the kids in the air. These new limbs were stronger than before.

"Let us down this minute!" Tabitha demanded.

"By all means," Jenga crooned, "This is only the beginning, kiddies! I'll catch you another time!" With that, she tossed them into the Federal Building and disappeared into thin air. So, the group recollected itself back outside and nothing more.

"What a rush," Laurel commented, "Didn't I tell you we weren't cut out for this superhero business?"

"You're telling me," Dana agreed, "Well, I better get going now."

At that moment, Tabitha finally decided it was now or never. "Wait a second! Hold on!"

Dana stopped in his tracks. "What is it?"

"It's you! I know it is!"

"Whaddaya mean?" Zenith asked.

"Those eyes! That voice! This guy is that new boy from school!"

At those words, Dana had plenty of reason for getting nervous. After all, it would take more than two simple fights involving teamwork before he or the girls entrusted anyone with this secret. "Um, I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm not stupid. I know it's you."

"Apparently, our friend believes you are," Yuri said, "You may as well just tell us. You can't hide it anymore."

Acknowledging this undeniable fact, Dana finally admitted defeat. "Okay, but we can't do it here. Follow me." Dana led them all the way to a hidden spot back on Polk St. After making sure nobody saw them, he de-transformed back to his normal self. "How's this?"

"I knew it the whole time!" Tabitha said, "I knew he looked and sounded familiar!"

"Okay, calm down," Laurel said playfully, "You don't hafta rub it in."

"Y'know, I just had a thought myself," Dana said, "Could you four be who I think you are?"

"Way ahead of you, Dana," Yuri said, and the four of them also de-transformed. Dana smiled and shook his head in playfulness.

"I might've known."

"I know you're only with us just because you've the same goals, but even so…" Zenith said, and she extended a hand to Dana, "Friends?"

Dana just continued smiling and shook hands with her. "Friends."

The End


	3. 03: It's Official

Once again, the quintet found themselves walking down the sidewalk in Chicago's more urban atmosphere. Having fought three battles already in just two outings, the fact that the girls had a new friend was the least of their excitations. However, a couple of them felt skeptical. Facts were facts: These kids just didn't have the experience necessary to actually call themselves heroes. "I don't know about this superhero business," Laurel said, "I'd say we fought the last three battles sloppily. We don't even have experience in this area."

"You got a point," Yuri agreed, "Why don't we just leave this business to the government?" But Zenith, being the undisputed leader of the group she always was, remained firm.

"I'm the one calling the shots here. We're the only ones who can take on Jenga. And unless we find anybody else whose favorite gas-doused card transformed them as well, the people depend on us and don't even know it."

"Say, where exactly are we going?" Dana asked.

"A card shop not far off," Tabitha answered, "You're gonna love it!"

"Yeah, we're the best customers," Laurel added, diverted from her previous subject, "Wait till you meet Mr. Osaka and Ms. Manchur."

"They're the ones who chaperoned that anime convention before school started up," Zenith chimed in, "They're the best in town, and nobody can beat them." Yuri and Laurel couldn't remain calm and steady despite their best efforts since becoming a superhero means more responsibilities than one can handle. But to their dismay, the other three refused to admit it and try to make a difference in the world anyhow. Unfortunately, persuasion was closer than anyone realized. As the group entered the alleyway leading to the shop, they stopped in shock and looked ahead. A group of punks cornered a teen.

"Okay, twerp, hand over your lunch money," one of them taunted.

"Leave me alone," he stammered.

"I tell you, that guy needs our help," Tabitha said.

"Forget that," Yuri countered, "Leave it to the police. We're just kids who have a card shop to get to."

"I don't see an officer in sight," Dana noted, "And I bet by the time anyone else does arrive, it'll be too late."

"As Yuri said, we're just kids," Laurel repeated, "Let's make like a banana and split."

"Y'know, Laurel, I'm surprised at you," Zenith said, "Most people of your experience would wish to avenge the wrongs they've committed in the past and bring happiness to others in doing so."

"What can we do, leader-girl? We can't even control our powers, let alone protect anyone. You remember those last few times. We were just fortunate to gain victory. I mean, one slip-up would've caused irreversible damage. I already said I'm no superhero."

"It doesn't hurt to try," Tabitha said, "You've been on the wrong side before. If I were you, I'd be saying something like 'If we don't start now, we're no better than them'."

"Who are your heroes?" Zenith asked.

"The Z Fighters, of course," Laurel answered.

"Then think to yourself the following: What would the Z Fighters do?" The Native American then turned her attention toward Yuri. "What would the digidestined do?" Yuri and Laurel faced each other and then back to their friends. Zenith's words must've proved quite encouraging if the two changed their views about the situation.

"Alright, you win," Yuri said, "We'll do it."

"Just one question, though," Dana quickly said, "What's this all about Laurel being on the wrong side?"

"We'll explain later if we remember," Tabitha said. The kids took out their respective cards and repeated the same famous transformation that changed their lives forever. Back in the alleyway, the hostage had little time left. The punks seemed too distracted to notice anything weird occurring nearby.

"Well, what's the holdup?" a punk questioned, "Y'gonna hand over yer goods, or do we hafta cut 'em outta you's?"

"None of the above," came Yuri's voice from the entrance of the alleyway. The punks faced the kids in stupor, and the teenager made an exit. It didn't take long for the bad ones to recognize their interrupters.

"Hey, aren't those the freaks whom the boss told us about?" a punk said.

"It feels good to know we're famous," Zenith retorted, "So, will it be the easy way or hard?" Consensus of course came fast.

"Let's rip 'em apart!" they called out. For a while, it seemed the kids would win easily. They had powers, anime know-how, and the like while the punks on the other hand didn't. These delinquents were only mere humans after all.

"Yeesh, what are they?" another called out, dodging sparks here and there.

"Freaks, what else?" came the reply from one of his comrades. The lead punk, Beef, stepped out of the fight for combat study. She had on a black sleeveless shirt, black leather pants, cowboy boots, chrome jewelry, and her blue hair was tied in a ponytail. Beef obviously knew something was up with the kids but had to step down a moment to grasp the big picture. And unfortunately for the kids, it would take a lot more than superpowers to demonstrate heroism. Before she knew it, Tabitha was the first unsuspecting person to get shot down with a crack in the chest courtesy of Beef. A couple of punks gathered around their leader and speculated.

"How'dja do it?" one asked.

"These freaks are just brats in fancy costumes," Beef said, "They don't know the first thing about fighting." Beef's words rang into everyone's ears, and that gave the other punks the advantage over the remaining four. Soon, the kids lay defeated on the ground next to each other. They de-transformed, stood back up on their feet, and brushed themselves off. Laurel could take it no more and stood off against Zenith.

"That's the last straw, I've had it up to here. The characters don't have anyone to take advantage of anymore. Our job here is done."

"Y'know, I think I agree," Dana said, "I've finally realized I never was cut out for this sort of thing."

"I hate to say I told you so," Yuri said.

"Zenith, can we please go on to the card shop?" Tabitha begged. Zenith stared at the ground, downcast because of their failure. It mattered not how they fought, for she still wished to protect the innocent. But she must now make like the others and admit defeat.

"Okay, we can stop now. We're not cut out for this. Onward to the card shop." But the punks immediately blocked their way.

"Whoa, slow down," one crooned, "What's the hurry? We'd love for you to stick around for dinner."

"Uh, we're not hungry," Tabitha said.

"So the truth comes out," Beef said as her team backed the kids more and more, "Check it, everyone. We've been played by a bunch of 5-year old kindergarteners."

"Actually, we're 11-year old 6th-graders," Yuri corrected in a stammering manner.

"Same thing," another punk taunted, "If you wanted a pounding, you could've just asked us."

"Er, I'll gladly offer myself up if you let the girls go free," Dana offered.

"No, me," Zenith said, "I'm the leader."

"No sale," Beef replied, unwilling to compromise, "You're all in on this together. That means you each get an equal punishment." Backed against the wall with eyes tightly closed, it seemed like the end for the preteens.

"Well, it was nice knowing you," Laurel said.

"Yeah, me too," Tabitha added, "Goodbye." But just as the punks' fists came down on the kids, they stopped in thin air. The kids opened their eyes and found punks with theirs dilated. In less than a second, the scoundrels collapsed to the ground unconscious. All five scanned their surroundings for a reasonable explanation.

"Whaddaya supposed happened?" Dana asked.

"You're asking me?" Yuri responded.

"Maybe they can tell us," Laurel suggested, pointing to two shadowy figures dead ahead. As the figures stared back, they made a finger gesture to come forward. Then the pair disappeared, leaving behind a trail of white ribbon. The kids eyed it and then back to that spot again.

"What's it all mean?" Tabitha asked.

"Call me crazy, but I think they want us to follow," Zenith said.

"I guess it's better than sticking around here," Laurel decided. The group followed the ribbon down the maze of alleyway. It eventually led them out of the shadows and in front of a familiar building.

"This is it!" Yuri exclaimed, "The card shop!"

"Do you suppose those two things are inside?" Dana said.

"There's only one way to find out," Zenith said. Into the card shop they stepped, stopping in shock to find the figures standing right in front of them. Both grabbed their own heads and pulled black sheets off their personas, revealing an adult man and woman dressed in kimonos.

"Ms. Manchur!" Tabitha exclaimed.

"Mr. Osaka!" Laurel added.

"In the flesh," Mr. Osaka said, "But since you're our best customers, you may call me Kensho."

"And you can call me Akira," Ms. Manchur added.

"Well, it's nice to meet you two," Dana greeted, "The name's Dana."

"We know," Kensho said, "We must confess, we've been watching you five for quite a long time now."

"Exactly how long?" Zenith asked.

"Ever since you were in kindergarten," Akira answered, "Follow us." The adults led the kids into a secret room in the back of the shop, and a flip of the light switch revealed it as a dojo. The latter couldn't believe their eyes.

"Whoa!" Yuri exclaimed.

"What's the deal?" Tabitha asked.

"Your unpleasant episode back out there has proven how inexperienced you five are," Akira explained, "Allow us to teach you the fundamentals of combat and heroism, and you can't go wrong."

"A promising proposal," Zenith said, "But how come you never showed us before?"

"We always knew from the moment you transformed from a trio to a quintet you were destined for greatness," Kensho added.

"So, you've been watching us forever," Yuri translated.

"You could put it that way," Akira said, "But, if you want us to train you, you must be willing to accept the challenges that come your way." The kids exchanged glances and reached their own quick consensus.

"I already knew it was our destiny from the start," Zenith said, and she held her hand out for a pile. Dana put his on top.

"Time meant for me to come here. I'm with you all the way." The other three followed suit.

"I'm there!" Tabitha said.

"Totally!" Laurel agreed.

"That's funny," Yuri noted to Laurel, "I thought the two of us didn't want to participate."

"True," Laurel continued, "But now that we've been promised experience, how can we refuse?"

The group then withdrew their hands and faced the adults. "It's unanimous," Zenith said, "We accept the challenges."

"Good," Kensho said, "Normally, this would take a few days or so. But we can shorten the basics down to a few hours using processes available today." And so began the training. It of course began with fumbling here and there, only to improve later on. During one point, in her transformed state, Laurel missed every target she tried blowing up until old-fashioned encouragement from their new teachers brought change.

"Look before you leap," Akira instructed, "Focus on your target." That in mind, Laurel improved nicely. At another point, in destroying a moving target, a combination of Sacred Fire, Agility, and Lock-On did wonders for the transformed Zenith. By keeping their power and strength to a minimum, the kids could train without causing a public disturbance. The shop's soundproof walls also helped quite a bit. Kensho and Akira needed close up for the day as a result, but it didn't matter. Training was complete by day's end for now.

"Ooh, are we stronger or what!" Yuri declared.

"Or what!" Tabitha joked.

"Ah, but this is only a portion of your training," Kensho said, "You've still much to learn."

"You mean we're still not strong enough to take them on?" Dana said.

"As the opposition grows stronger, so must you," Akira explained, "With your parents' permission, you may come by for further training in certain hours if you wish to learn more."

"Darn it, you sure make a lot of sense," Laurel said, "How much this training gonna cost?"

"Not so much as a red cent," Kensho answered, "After all, we do own a card shop."

"Since we're gonna be a superhero team, we require a superhero collective name," Zenith said, "Too bad Justice League, Justice Friends, and Superfriends are taken."

"I know!" Dana suggested, "How about Raining Cats And Dogs?"

"But we're humans," Yuri said, "And even though we have cats and dogs running through our veins, it still doesn't fit."

"I got it!" Laurel decided, "Let's call ourselves the Slashers!"

"That sounds like the name of a criminal gang," Zenith disagreed, "We're anything but criminals. Besides, we don't do much slashing."

"How about the Fantastic Five?" Yuri suggested.

"Copyright infringement," Dana countered.

Tabitha pondered the matter to herself, which led to her pulling out her favorite Duel Monsters card. She stared at it long and hard until an idea popped up. "I have an idea! Let's call ourselves the Cardz! That's 'cards' with a 'z' in it."

"Cardz?" Yuri wondered.

"Yep! We take after animes with their own card games, and our favorite cards from those games transform us."

"That makes sense," Laurel said, "Even if the 'z-replacing-s' bit might seem overrated sometimes. That fits me perfectly!"

"Yeah," Yuri and Dana agreed.

"Alright," Zenith said, "Cardz, it is."

"Let's not forget your individual names," Kensho reminded, "No one must know who you really are."

"Oh, that's right," Tabitha said, "If they did, they could track down our loved ones and use them to their advantage."

"Simply put," Zenith spoke, "I'll call myself Pokéskid. That's a combination of 'Pokémon' and 'skid'. My definition of 'skid' is the same as a race car whizzing past the others in a race."

"I was definitely prepared for this," Yuri said, "Once, I mistakenly thought that the digidestined called their digivices 'digiballs'. Now I'm turning that mistake into my pseudonym, Digiball."

"I transform into a combination of Goku and Tenshinhan," Laurel said, "Therefore, my name shall be Tenku."

"A dune is a pile of sand, and Egypt is full of it," Tabitha chimed, "Plus, that's where Duel Monsters originated. I'm Duel Dune!"

"My great-grandfather was a corporal in the army at one point," Dana finished, "In honor of him and Cardcaptor Sakura, I dub myself Captor Corporal."

"Very good, students," Akira complimented, "Now that you're all set, what do you plan to do?" A sudden kick of a trashcan answered that question for the kids. They all hurried to the window and saw the same gang as earlier taunting an old couple.

"Hand over the goods, and you can go," one said.

"We'll never compromise!" the old man shot out.

"This is your chance," Kensho encouraged, "Let's see you put your newly acquired skills to the test."

"You heard them, team," Zenith said, "Off we go!" The kids pulled out their favorite cards again and transformed, truly all set for some top-notch hinny-whooping. Back in the alleyway, the old couple stared certain death in the eyes.

"You had your chance, Grandma and Grandpa," Beef crooned, "Guess we'll just take it from you the hard way."

"If you had your way, would you still have let them go?" came Tenku's voice from out of nowhere.

"Compromises are overrated," Beef answered unwittingly. Then she jolted and faced her group, having realized something. "Okay, who's the wise-acre who asked me a dumb question?"

"I didn't say nothin'," one answered.

"Me either," another piped.

"No, but we did," came the Cardz' voices in unison, catching the punks' attention. The couple made like the teenager earlier – taking advantage of the distraction – and fled for dear life.

"Well, well," Beef crooned, "If it ain't the same new punching bags we were about to play with earlier."

"Wrong," Digiball said, "We're much different than last time."

"Sure you are," a fourth punk said, "You fight like sissies. And we'd be glad ta prove it." So a new and much different fight broke out this time: The transformed kids, now known as the Cardz, gained the upper hand. Pokéskid's Spark made the punks jump and dance all over the place. Tenku and Captor Corporal's tag-team technique came in handy. When a trashcan got hurled at Duel Dune, her Metalmorph caused it to bounce off harmlessly. Digiball brought up a storm using her various blasts. All this and more created quite a ruckus in the alleyway. Those who saw these mysterious signs called the police without delay. At battle's end, Beef and her gang were placed in a neat little pile. The Cardz stared down at the first victory they'd actually attained from true effort.

"Wh-what are y-you?" a punk whimpered. In response, each hero shot a small blast that carved out a letter into the alley walls, spelling 'CARDZ'. After that, they spelled out their respective names.

"We'll be watching you," Pokéskid warned, "Just call us the Cardz." That done and over with, the Cardz flew off.

Later on, after the police arrived on the scene and the daytime sky faded more and more into night, the kids watched in fake puzzlement. "What's the trouble, officers?" Tabitha asked.

"We caught these delinquents stirring up trouble in the 'hood," an officer answered. Beef immediately recognized the group and would've done something horrific if not restrained. She could only struggle with her subjugators.

"Those are the ones! They call themselves 'Cardz'!" The officers forced Beef into the car and drove her to prison.

"Is this true?" the same officer asked the kids.

"Surely you jest, officer," Dana pretended, "How can we, a group of helpless kids, do whatever it was she accused us of?"

"Yeah, I'm just playing," the officer said, "You better go on home now. It's pretty late out, and this is a restricted area."

"Okay, bye!" the kids said, walking off like nothing. Back in the alley, more officers studied the markings formulated by the Cardz.

"Cardz?" one wondered.

"Duel Dune? Digiball?" another added.

"Whaddaya suppose these words mean?" a third asked. Little did they know how deeply the answer had been right under their noses.

The End


	4. 04: Acting Up

For the next several weeks, Chicago saw the biggest crime cleanup since rioting of the 1960s. The new superheroes to hit the streets, titled the Cardz, pledged to make it a better place to live. Whether a false demonstration broke out, whether polluters attempted to transform Lake Michigan or any nearby water source into a lifeless mess, the Cardz were on the scene regardless of no official approval or sponsoring. As with any major event, the news media couldn't tear away from the constant action. Anyone who came in close contact with the heroes appeared on the news. "They're my new best friends!" one said.

"I know heroes when I see them. Anyone who mentions otherwise is no friend of mine."

"When I was a kid, we used toothpicks for building materials." But strangely enough, no matter how many times the Cardz made the scene, nobody even caught a glimpse of Jenga. Where could she have gone? What was she planning?

"Hoo, I could sleep a week," Tabitha commented as the group spent a day out on the town. Even superheroes required rest.

"You're telling me," Laurel agreed, "I feel like a million clones of Jackie Joyner-Kersee."

"That's the feel of a hero," Zenith said, "We've greater responsibilities than we've ever had before."

"Even so, we deserve a break," Dana said, "Whadda we gonna do?"

"Hey there, kiddies," came a voice. The kids soon found themselves face to face with a farming couple whose smiles showed no cause for suspicion. They also had a stand set up like other rural dwellers nearby.

"Who are you?" Zenith asked.

"We're Oscar and Dodie Beecher," the wife answered, "We're makin' like our fellow farmers and sellin' our stock."

"But isn't it early for that?" Yuri asked, "I mean, it's barely October."

"Oh, but it is," Oscar said, "You kids are lookin' a bit thin. What say Dodie and mahself put a li'l meat on ya?"

"That's nice of you, but we haven't a cent," Laurel said.

"Quite alright," Dodie said, "This here sample's on us. Ah thinks yer gonna love this." She handed each of them a wooden spoon and a bowl filled with a mysterious yellow and green mixture. "Try it." The kids stared into the bowls, puzzled.

"Er, what is it?" Tabitha asked.

"The finest mix of ground vegetables this here side of Illinois ever saw," Oscar answered, "It's our very own corn and soybean surprise."

"What's the surprise?" Yuri asked.

"It's fresh!" the couple declared, giggling at their own little joke. And the kids shrugged. Heroism was one thing to them, but then how often does someone offer others a free sample of something unexpectedly?

"Well, it'd be rude to refuse," Dana said. They took the spoons and began eating. The first bite through, their eyes widened in surprise.

"Mm, mm!" Yuri declared, "This stuff rocks!"

"No kidding!" Laurel added, "It feels as if somebody cranked the volume on my taste buds!"

"We gotta share this with everyone else!" Tabitha suggested. At that, she and the others started running around and yelling to the public.

"Hup hup hup hup hup hup!" Dana saluted.

"Come and get it!" Zenith called, "Available only for a limited time! Fresh off the farm and straight to your mouth!"

"Courtesy of Dodie and Oscar Beecher!" Laurel said, "Come get a mouthful of Illinois-grown corn and soybeans! The best you'll ever see in a lifetime!" As they acted, people from nearby gathered around the stand to see what the commotion was all about. And after that, they displayed bravery like the kids in trying something new.

"Don't be shy!" Yuri added, "You know you want to, so don't deny it!" Zenith seized hold of some fresh corn kernels and soybeans to juggle. Dana joined in, only to fumble aimlessly until the leader's tutoring changed it for the better. Departure came into play at least a half hour later once the kids deemed the charade tiring.

"Well, it was nice doing business with you," Tabitha said, "Gotta run!"

"Thanks fer the help, young 'uns," Oscar said, "As a reward, take another sampler with ya." He handed out five plastic bags full of the vegetable mix. As they walked along home, the kids could only think of the helpful ruckus they brought up.

"Now that was the break we'd been looking for," Dana commented.

"Indeed," Laurel agreed, "After all the hard work we've pulled in for the city, we needed some time off."

Zenith had other things on her mind. "Jenga's been quiet lately. Long-term quietness always means the foe plans something drastic."

"You worry too much, Zenith," Yuri said, "Nobody worries on their day off from work. Loosen up."

"Are we the best actors around or what!" Tabitha declared, "I personally wouldn't mind if someone asked us to star in a movie! Or at least one episode of a specific TV show. Say, what actor do I remind any of you about?"

"I wouldn't know, Tabitha," Laurel answered, "I pay little attention to actor similarities. You're the expert actor here, you should know."

"I'm glad to hear that," came a voice out of nowhere. The group stopped in shock and looked around.

"Who's glad?" Zenith asked.

"I didn't say anything," Dana said.

"Me either," Yuri chimed.

"Well, don't look at me," Laurel said.

"Or me," Tabitha added.

"No, it was me," came the same voice. The kids turned to face a middle-aged man in an outfit similar to what they'd seen William Shakespeare wear in various typical drawings and recognized him from school as the drama teacher.

"Oh, Mr. Gina," Yuri said, "What brings you to us today?"

"Forgive my prying, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation," Mr. Gina explained, "Besides that, I saw your little performance over at the Beechers' stand and liked it very much. I see good things happening in your futures, I do."

"Tell me, am I a shoe-in for the big screen?" Tabitha asked excitedly. This Chinese girl was just crazy about acting!

"Maybe," Mr. Gina answered, "But after seeing and hearing your commitments to the stage, I was wondering if you'd like to perform in the talent show this coming weekend?"

"Where?" Zenith asked.

"Why, the Steppenwolf Theater," Mr. Gina said. The kids jolted, none more shocked than good old Tabitha.

"No way! I always wanted to perform there! I don't know about the rest of you, but I accept!"

"I'm free this weekend," Yuri said, "I'll go, too."

"Same here," Dana piped.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Laurel decided.

"Seems I'm always the last to choose," Zenith said, "What time do you want us to show up?"

"You're the best group I've encountered so far, and I always save the best for last," Mr. Gina said, "I'll expect you at the theater 8:00 PM sharp to the least. Don't forget to tell your parents! Bye!" As soon as her left, three realized an important detail that required fixing.

"Oh no!" Laurel said.

"What's wrong?" Tabitha asked.

"I just realized that I don't know the first thing about acting!"

"Uh oh, I second that," Dana agreed.

"Same here," Yuri chimed.

"That's funny," Zenith commented, "You did excellently several minutes ago. How could you have just lost your potential?"

"That was small-time," Dana explained, "We'll be performing in front of who knows how many people."

"You've come to the right girl!" Tabitha declared, "Stick with me, and we'll bring out your potential in no time flat!"

"That depends on how much time we have," Yuri reminded, "Mr. Gina told us that the talent show is this weekend. For some strange reason, I don't even know what today is."

"I believe it's Thursday," Laurel guessed.

Zenith studied the sky. "And judging by the sun's position, I'd say we only have a day to prepare. It's almost time for dinner."

"Alright then, we'll start tomorrow at school," Tabitha decided, "See ya!" The kids each then ran their separate ways. Tomorrow would be the start of something just as big as when they first became heroes.

The next school day, none wasted time preparing for the talent show. Some practiced pirouettes. Others preferred musical instruments. Mr. Gina didn't approve of one group's choice for material. Zenith's group hadn't chosen anything yet. "Any bright ideas?" Dana asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't," Zenith replied.

"Okay, stay calm," Tabitha reassured, "We can do this, I know we can. What have we for a start?"

Yuri stared down at the pile of costumes that lay in front of them. "Nothing except a bunch of unidentifiable costumes. That is, unless someone has a book for us to copy from."

"Nah," Tabitha said, "Let's try out some of these costumes until we find what we like. Then we'll use those for our act. If we don't like anything, then…well, let's just see." For a pile of costumes, Mr. Gina certainly came prepared that year! It was equipped with the works! Monster costumes, clown costumes, animal costumes…only a sample of what he kept in supply. The kids gave up after an hour of searching.

"Okay, that failed," Laurel commented, "What next?"

As if to answer her question, the lunch bell rang on the intercom. As they ate a meal composed of mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, fresh fruit, and assorted milk choices, the kids further discussed the matter. "So what now?" Dana asked.

"I got an idea!" Zenith exclaimed, "Why don't we dress up as our alter egos, the Cardz?"

"Hearing that from you surprises me greatly," Yuri commented, "As leader, you should know the code of honor we follow. We can't use our powers for something as small as a talent show."

"Emphasis on 'dress up'. I meant that we could conjure up homemade costumes of ourselves and just act as, well, ourselves."

"There's a bright idea," Laurel agreed, "Think Mr. Gina has anything lyin' around that can help us?"

"I'm sure of it," Tabitha answered, "It pays to keep a sharp eye out for important details."

"Then we'll stay after school," Dana decided, "We need all the time we can get to prepare. It's due tomorrow." And that's exactly what they did. Whereas they'd normally go straight home to catch their favorite animes, the kids sacrificed it for more and rummaged through the costumes again. Grabbing all the necessary items they could find, the group made little progress in finding the appropriate garb to replicate the same disguises their transformations provided.

"Not the right color, but it'll do," Yuri commented, observing a ribbon she'd just pulled out.

"Well, it sort of looks like a head bandanna," Zenith said, having pulled out a yellow cloth that seemed too small to be worn on the head.

"All these hats are just wrong," Dana said, "None of them is as square-shaped as that of Captor Corporal."

"You're telling me," Laurel agreed, "Nothing that relates to Tenku lies in this mound."

"My suggestion was a mistake," Zenith realized, "We can't find the proper apparel, and nobody would understand our shows anyhow."

"Oh, that does it," Tabitha decided, "Let's forget the costumes. Not every actor needs 'em, anyways." So they put the costumes back where they found them. "Okay, let the acting begin!"

"Wait a second," Yuri said, "What's our motivation?"

"I haven't a clue in the world," Zenith said.

Tabitha thought for a moment. "I know! What we need is a more serene setting. I know just the place to go!" The group soon found themselves in Grant Park, directly across from Polk St. Everyone else agreed that a scene full of lush vegetation and frolicking people would inspire something before they could count to ten, so to speak. "How's this?"

"Perfect!" Laurel declared, "This place will do!"

"Affirmative!" Dana agreed, holding up his arms in the shape of dragon's heads, "Err rahhhh! Grrr!"

"And who might you be?" Yuri asked playfully.

Dana quickly dropped his arms and let them dangle. "I was pretending to be King Ghidorah, but that hurts my arms."

"You don't have to hold your arms up," Zenith suggested.

"My brain's compatible with the surroundings!" Laurel beamed, "I've an idea! Let's do a skit on 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Who wants to be the squid?" She wiggled her arms at her suggestion, definitely telling all who'd play what parts.

"Seems like you've already claimed that role," Tabitha noted, "Let the acting commence!" Laurel sat down on the ground and wiggled her limbs all over the place while mock-strangling the others. By accident, she nearly kicked them in the chins. Further along, they ended up getting too close together in a pile that the pretend action became real. Passersby couldn't tell from the panicking whether it was rehearsals or something else. Then the kids stood up again in embarrassment, and Laurel's next words drew hefty attention.

"WHAT IN TARNATION ARE WE DOING?" People must've stared for miles.

"It's too early for a stare down," Zenith noted, making a brushing motion with her arms, "Great. Now everyone thinks we're crazy."

"Break time!" Dana announced.

That evening, the group found themselves at Zenith's house. She sat on the couch playing Pokémon Sapphire on her Game Boy Advance while her younger sister Nadir watched a tape of Pokémon. Even though they didn't care much, Laurel, Yuri, and Dana had joined her on the carpet. Only Tabitha couldn't sit still, being the conceited actor she was. "You have acting potential in you, I know it," she told her friends, "We just gotta find the right characters."

"I'm ready to give up on this acting business," Yuri said, "We've tried everything today, and we've made no progress. We're doomed."

"I'm with Yuri," Dana agreed.

"But we can't!" Tabitha argued, "Mr. Gina will be very disappointed if we don't show up tomorrow. We can't let 'im down."

"Y'know, acting is optional, not mandatory," Laurel said, "We can just break it to the drama teacher slowly. We've no choice but to say 'Thank you just the same' to him."

"Aw, what is wrong with all of you?" Nadir demanded. She had long black hair and wore a pink turtleneck, plaid skirt, dark-blue socks, black shoes, and spectacles. By now, she'd heard the conversation and turned off the tape to stand up from her seated position.

"I beg your pardon?" Dana asked.

"Zenith, what kind of friends do you have here? They give up too easy!"

Zenith saved her game, turned off her Game Boy Advance, and put it away. "Nadir, please stop badmouthing."

"I mean it, sis. Doesn't anyone watch the news anymore? Not once have I seen the Cardz give up. You should be more like them."

"I'm surprised someone as young as you watches the news," Yuri commented.

"I'm game," Tabitha said, "Can you help us?"

"You bet I can!" Nadir continued, "I may not look like much, but I'm the best director that ever existed. My teacher Mrs. Donald even said so! I could direct all my classmates around a desert island in no time at all."

"Alright then," Laurel encouraged, "Do your worst, kiddo. Direct us around the island."

"I'll be right back." Nadir left the room, only to return just as quickly with paper and pencils for the older kids.

"Uh, whadda we do with these?" Zenith asked.

"Think about your favorite things in life besides watching TV," Nadir instructed, "Then write them down."

"I like lilacs!" Yuri said.

"The cosmos!" Zenith said. Just as they'd been instructed, the group wrote down their favorite things. That must've done the trick, for everyone felt even more confident than before.

"I think we're on to something!" Dana declared.

The rest of the evening and much of Saturday passed on by with nothing but nonstop acting until the big night finally came. The kids and Nadir waited backstage, dressed in their best garb. Mr. Gina peeked to the waiting audience. "This is it, kids! This is your big break!"

"Yeah!" Tabitha joked, "We're big, and we'll break everything!" The group walked out from behind the curtain and stared to the audience momentarily before going behind a nearby couch. Clad in a flowery dress, Yuri stepped out first prancing and skipping about like a fairy, followed by Dana. Acting as a cat, he crawled towards Yuri and stopped. She ceased dancing long enough for them to stare eye to eye.

"Oh, my," Yuri began, "Who or what might you be?"

"I'm a cat," Dana said, followed by purring.

"And what a majestic sound you make."

Sniffing Yuri, Dana continued the play with a pretend sneeze. "Ah…ah…ah-choo!" The Russian girl wiggled some and bent over backwards just a little bit, only to stand back up straight. This scene involved a petal getting blown off, but she needn't struggle much since they'd been designed to get knocked out by an effortless movement.

"Oh, dear! There goes a petal!"

"Sorry. Ah-choo!"

Yuri repeated the same motions; she then looked down, blushed, and grabbed her temple. "There go the rest!"

"Oh, sorry." Laughing and applause from the audience encouraged the pair to retreat back behind the couch, replaced by the Baker sisters. Their act instantly developed into fall-apart warfare when Zenith pretended to grab Nadir's nose.

"Observe, sister! I have stolen your nose so that you no longer have it! Shocking, is it not?"

"In that case, I'll steal your eyes!" Nadir pretended to do just that, careful not to poke her older sister's face for real. And when Mrs. Donald said Nadir could 'direct the entire class around a desert island', it proved no lie!

"Then I'll take your ears!"

"I'll take your nose!"

"Your eyes!"

"Your hair!"

"Your toe!"

"Cheek!"

"Knee!" The two continued grabbing until they finally lay on the floor as lifeless lumps. Only their hands weren't lifeless, what with the continuous motions still manufactured here.

"T-t-tongue!"

"M-molar!"

"L-lasagna!"

Zenith jolted at Nadir's previous statement. Did that line come out right, or did the younger Native American girl mess up the script? "Lasagna?" Nevertheless, the audience's second helping of laughter and applause told the performers how much they enjoyed this show. In closing the act, Tabitha and Laurel then replaced the sisters. Tabitha held her hands and fingers out as she surveyed the stage floor.

"Burn, city! Burn!"

Laurel appeared suddenly on the scene, playing a klutzy hero. "Stop in the name of…of…everything! Stop in the name of everything!"

Still just acting, Tabitha shot Laurel a funny look. "'Stop in the name of everything'?"

"Don't mimic me! I've come to put an end to your tyranny!"

"Uh, don't you mean 'destructive rampage'?"

"Whichever. Hah!" Laurel made fists and rumbled her body as if powering up. "Now I'm a super…uh, super…well, I'm super!" She advanced towards an ever-quizzical Tabitha. "Alright, you!" But the Kenyan girl stopped as quickly and hopped on one foot. "Ooch! Ow!"

"Now what's wrong?"

"I got a splinter in my foot!"

Tabitha faced the laughing audience in resignation. "So this is how the hero works. She brings my defeat by annoying the crud out of me!" Extreme laughter from the audience drowned out hers. Afterwards, the others came out from behind the couch so all six could bow for the closing applause as the curtains fell down.

"C'mon, Zenith!" Nadir called to her sister, "Mom's waiting for us in the car!"

As Nadir ran forward, all except Zenith discussed the show's greatness. "You were too much!" Dana complimented to Laurel.

"Yeah, you weren't so bad yourself," came the reply.

"Didn't I say you all had potential?" Tabitha said.

"That you did," Yuri agreed. And once again, her attention turned towards Zenith. "Hey, Zenith. Why so gloomy?"

"I enjoyed myself," Zenith said, "But I still can't figure out why Jenga never made the scene tonight. Doesn't that bother anybody at all?"

"It would, if I weren't having so much fun right now!" Dana answered, "Dad was right: This was the perfect place to start over."

"And start over, you have," Laurel said. The kids knew Jenga would attack once more, but they made sure they enjoyed the night as much as possible. Who knew what lay in store for them in weeks ahead?

The End


	5. 05: A Green Gusher

Nothing major seemed to be in sight amongst Chicago's hustle and bustle. People drove here and there, construction workers built new buildings and tore down old ones, etc. But not a soul suspected anything to occur from the city's lower domicile. Within the sewers walked a misshapen figure known to everyone else as Jenga. After the failure of her Leatherheads and even taking on the Cardz herself, she'd not attacked for weeks. But only the kids feared that would change soon enough. The monster walked for hours, eventually coming to a stop. "Perfect," she muttered, "Now that I've combed the sewer system, I'll give this burg a disgusting surprise they'll never forget." By now, Jenga must've been in major control of her new abilities. The tremendous gas she belched filled the entire sewers in mere seconds. Sewage bubbled, fizzled, and 'danced' all over. At Jenga's command, it prepared to lift itself up into the unsuspecting area above.

"The first phase of the tea ceremony is to admire your own cup," Akira mentored, "Each cup is unique in its own way. No two cups are alike." As Jenga schemed, Akira and Kensho taught the kids the lesson of the day. True, one doesn't become a great warrior just by polishing their arms. The kids had more to learn besides kicking and punching.

"The tea ceremony is a popular event in Japan," Kensho added, "A personal favorite of ours."

"My cup is of dolphins," Zenith noted, "Does that mean anything?"

"That it does," Akira answered, "Every carving and design has a meaning behind it waiting to be found. You just have to know how."

"In the meantime, the tea grows cold," Dana said.

"The way of the tea ceremony is the way of patience," Kensho said.

"I know!" Laurel figured, "As in, 'Stop and smell the roses'."

"Hold the cameras?" Yuri guessed.

"That's a different subject altogether," Akira reminded them, "Sip the tea." The kids complied with that command. "Feel the vibrations coursing through your bodies." A sudden tremor rocked the shop.

"Wow!" Tabitha declared, "That's some tea! I felt the vibrations!"

"That wasn't the tea, Tabitha," Dana clarified.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say we've been hit by an earthquake," Zenith surmised, "What else would make that rumbling?"

"A steamroller," Laurel answered. A splash and several bubbling sounds in the next room then followed the rumbling.

"Somebody leave the sink running?" Tabitha asked.

"Highly doubtful," Kensho said. The adults and kids discovered the source to be in the shop's only restroom. The toilet and sink spewed out water and unidentifiable ooze without end.

"Looks like somebody left the sink and toilet running," Yuri noted, "Yecch." But something was wrong here. The rushing goop showed no signs of slowing down and stopping. In fact, it grew quicker and even volatile.

"Get back!" Akira cried. Adults pushed kids aside as the sink and toilet exploded violently. Sharp porcelain bits struck the door; the pipes continued spewing; and the room leaked out into the rest of the shop. All except the adults and Laurel covered their noses and mouths.

"Pee-yew!" Dana declared, "Total gross-out!"

"Funny," Laurel commented, "It all smells the same to me."

"How can you stand this?" Zenith asked.

"Girl, I've been all over the city from the bottom up. I've smelled much worse, and I could tell you stories that'll send shivers up your spine."

"Thanks for letting us know," Yuri said, "What's going on anyway?"

"Duty calls, what else?" Tabitha answered.

"Indeed," Kensho said, "Hurry now. Off you go."

"Don't have to tell us twice," Dana said. So they transformed and hurried off.

Meanwhile, Jenga's new minion wasted no time making Chicago as toxic as its underground systems. Sewage poured out of buildings as waterfalls, shot up from underneath the streets in fountains, and flowed as a flood. And in the middle of it all stood not Jenga but an olive-green monster with a rounded head, yellow eyes, three-fingered arms, no legs, and composed completely of sewage. A flicked finger or arm commanded sewage like nothing. "That's it, people!" she taunted, "Run all you wish! You can't escape my show!"

"What are you?" someone cried.

"Just call me Sewage Breath!" Then something else caught her attention. "Ooh, visitors. This changes things completely." The 'visitors' were of course none other than the Cardz. Despite the transformation, only Tenku could more or less get the odor past her nose.

"C'mon, all, be strong. It builds character."

"It stinks!" Duel Dune complained, "I can barely breathe!"

"Whew!" Pokéskid declared, "What we need here is a little…Sweet Scent!" A more pleasant odor came from her hands, making things a bit more bearable for the others. They breathed a relieved sigh.

"Ah, that's better," Captor Corporal said, "I can barely smell the sewage anymore."

"Yeah, same here," Digiball agreed.

"Then let me help out," came Sewage Breath's voice. She rose up in the middle of the group, and her chemical physiology dispersed the Sweet Scent. The smell of sewage returned to everyone's noses.

"Yecch!" Pokéskid said, "Whadja do that for!"

"I did not put on this fantastic show just to have you brats ruin it all. Mistress Jenga commands, and Sewage Breath obeys!"

"Go figure," Tenku commented.

"Enough! Join the show, I insist!" Sewage Breath raised her hand up, and the Cardz just barely dodged incoming sewage fountains. But they wouldn't be able to dodge forever; Sewage Breath kept the fountains coming no matter where they flew.

"Surround her!" Pokéskid commanded, "Sheer Cold!"

"Ice Wolf Snout!"

"Driving Snow!"

"Freeze card!" In moments flat, Sewage Breath was a frozen sculpture alongside the sewage she commanded. Frozen fountains and frosty sheets covered the place. Now Tenku needed deliver the final blow.

"And the rest is up to me." Tenku got into a certain pose and gathered up energy. "Kamehameha!" Frozen pieces of sewage and Sewage Breath went flying. The Cardz then contemplated their short-lasting battle.

"I tell you, that was too easy," Captor Corporal commented, "I expected a challenge out of that thing."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Pokéskid said, "But we're not finished here yet. Look!" She pointed to the ground, where the sewage wiggled and reformed into one mass. Sewage Breath was back for more!

"That was fun, kiddies! What other kinds of great games can we play?" But before they reacted, an awful splashing which knocked them down gave them greater worries and annoyances.

"Eewwwwww!" Digiball complained, "I'll be reeking for weeks straight!"

"Tell me about it," Duel Dune agreed.

"My mom lights matches whenever there's a foul odor hanging," Tenku said. She picked up a nearby stick, lit it, and waved it around.

"One flame alone won't eliminate the stink," Pokéskid said, joining suit with Sacred Fire. Flames appeared from the palms of her hands. Smelling the smoke, Sewage Breath decided to act.

"Didn't your mommies ever tell you it's not safe to play with fire? Here!" She hosed at Pokéskid, who used Fly to dodge before tossing the flames the monster's way. Sewage Breath dealt damage and attacked Pokéskid, who retaliated via Overheat. Digiball, Duel Dune, and Captor Corporal joined their friend using their own pyrogenic attacks.

"Burning Salamander!"

"Sea Of Flames!"

"Fiery card!" Sewage Breath sizzled, steamed, and bubbled ferociously. Once again, Tenku finished her off.

"Final Flash!" Only then did the monster disappear in light and fire completely. The Cardz then landed and contemplated once more.

"The place still stinks, and so do we," Digiball complained, "What're my parents gonna say about me?"

Captor Corporal's eyes scanned the surroundings. "Dang, this place is messy. Looks like our job is done here."

"But shouldn't we help clean?" Duel Dune asked.

"Not necessarily," Pokéskid answered, pointing around. Several crews from the Department of Sanitation wasted no time in cleaning up the mess. "Those guys and ladies seem to have it under control."

"In the meantime, I'm gonna instill some training of my own inside the rest of ya," Tenku told the others, "You gotta be able to withstand various odors, like yours truly. You can never tell how handy it might come." Pokéskid couldn't agree more.

"Very well. We'll meet at your house later today." That decision made, the Cardz each flew off in different directions.

"So, are we all here?" Dana asked. Just as planned, the group gathered at Laurel's house to toughen up their olfactory cells and more against mighty odors. Only Yuri hadn't shown up yet.

"No, we still gotta wait for Yuri," Tabitha answered, "She takes forever."

"Not to worry," came Yuri's voice as she arrived.

"What happened?" Zenith asked, "What took you so long?"

"My parents made me scrub myself for an hour straight. At least they considered me a victim same as everyone else in town, rather than find out our secret. That much I'm glad of."

"Class must run in the family, huh?" Dana suggested.

"You have no idea," Laurel said, "Now that you're all here, follow me to the back." The Sepia girl led them to her garage where her parents worked on the family car. Both clad in blue overalls, gray shirts, and green caps, the father's hair was cut down really short whereas the mother's was parted from side to side in spikes. Mrs. Maize took a moment off and greeted the group.

"Hey, Laurel. And the rest of you as well."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Maize," Tabitha greeted.

"Laurel, sweetie, wouldja kindly pass us that rag over there?" Mr. Maize requested, pointing to a red-and-white rag sitting on a nearby table. Once Laurel complied, he wiped himself down and then handed it to Mrs. Maize who followed it. Then she gave it back to Laurel.

"Oh my," Yuri commented. Laurel grabbed another, rather oily rag and passed it around once all stood in the backyard.

"Take a whiff of that and tell me how you feel." The others did so with little or no reaction, Zenith coming last.

"Not too bad, I suppose."

Laurel produced the other rag. "Lean in close and take a whiff of this stuff." A higher reaction came.

"Pyew!" Dana exclaimed, "That's nasty!"

"And our family will be the first to share it," Laurel said, "This training seems pointless, but it's very necessary. Don't ask me how, I just know." By now, Yuri decided to act beyond her usual behavior and supplement the training.

"Hey, I've an idea! Why don't we all go grab something from home and bring it back here to further this?"

"I got a durian to share!" Tabitha declared.

"That's the spirit, people!" Laurel said, "Now you're thinking stinking!" So while she waited patiently, the others ran back home and returned just as quickly with their objects. Tabitha brought the durian she mentioned. Yuri had two rotten eggs in hand. And Zenith presented stale onions. It seemed only Dana hadn't anything to share. "So, who'd like to go first?"

"I will!" Zenith called, setting the onions down on a picnic table. She then pierced them using her fingers and crumbled them into little bits. The resulting oily residue made her recoil a bit yet take it as it came. The others did the same.

"Okay, who's next?" Laurel asked.

"I am!" Yuri volunteered. She picked up a flat piece of cardboard nearby, set it down on the table, and cracked the eggs upon it. These smelled worse, but the kids didn't give up. Tabitha took the egg-covered cardboard and tossed it in the trash afterward.

"Can we pause a moment?" Dana asked, "What exactly is the point of all this?"

"That's a good question, boy," Laurel answered, "It sure looks like we defeated Sewage Breath earlier, but Zenith and I know better. If she comes back, we'll be prepared this time. Plus, this'll come in handy for future battles. You never know." Laurel somehow reached through to Tabitha significantly, for the Chinese girl was extra ready.

"Since you put it that way, I'll need a means to cut my durian in half."

"Allow me," came the approaching Mr. Maize's voice. He took a large knife from his pocket and brought it down on the durian abruptly, causing the kids to jolt. "No need to thank me." Then he left them to their training.

Zenith pulled a fleshy chunk from the durian and sniffed it. "Huh. This actually stinks and tangs at the same time."

Yuri did the same as her Native American friend, only to recoil. "Whew! That durian is a stink bomb if I ever smelled one!"

"It's a popular delicacy grown in the Orient," Tabitha explained, "I can stand it because I'm the only one here who grew up on it."

"No matter," Laurel said, "Let's share it." Once again, the others remained strong and forced the durian down their throats. But they still had a distance to go; now came Dana's turn. "C'mon, Dana. Show us whatcha got." In response, he pulled out a 5-pack of combs.

"Comb, anyone?"

"A comb is a personal thing that should never be borrowed," Yuri reminded, "The last thing anyone wants is head lice or something."

"No, I haven't used these combs yet. Back in Roswell, I experienced the deadly smell of burning hair. Believe me, it's pretty strong."

"Then let's get stinky," Zenith said, taking command of the situation. Dana handed each girl a comb, and they all combed their hair like crazy. Zenith had to undo her ponytail in order to comb, and Tabitha her pigtails. Yuri had to remove her bow, Laurel her headband, and Dana had to get rid of his cat ears. While combing, Laurel also led them down to the basement where they piled hair clumps on top of some bricks. After restoring their individual 'dos, Dana took a match from a nearby matchbox and lit the hair. It burned lightly, filling the room with a new odor.

"Hoo, you were right!" Tabitha declared, "That is awful!"

"Yeah," Yuri agreed, "What kind of gel do you use in your hair anyway?"

"The same as everyone else, I'm sure," Dana answered.

"Actually, this isn't too bad," Zenith noted, "It's the same as that durian Tabitha brought: sweet yet sickening."

"Somehow, this scent feels vaguely familiar," Laurel commented, "I know I've smelled burning hair before." The final test came at last when Laurel led the others to a nearby sewer hole and lifted the cover off. "This is it. If you can storm this, you've automatically graduated from my little class." The others looked down at the repulsive globs below.

"This is it," Zenith said. The four bent over and whiffed the smell as heavily as possible. This time, it barely phased their noses.

"Criminy," Yuri declared, "Would've burned off other people's noses. Good thing we have Laurel to teach us the ropes of these things."

"Now you're truly speaking my language," Laurel complimented.

"What's next?" Dana asked. A sudden splash upon them from the sewers answered that question nicely.

"Aw, cripes!" Yuri complained, "Not again!" A familiarly shaped fountain of sewage rose up in front of them.

"Sewage Breath!" they cried.

"Oh, yes," she answered, "Again and again if need be!"

"We turned you into steam!" Tabitha stammered.

"If you want the answer, then come and get me!" Sewage Breath splashed back into the sewers, leaving the kids dumbfounded.

"No choice, once more," Zenith said, and the kids transformed into the Cardz. One by one did they disappear under the streets and search around the sewers. They soon regrouped only to come empty-handed. "Find anything, team?"

"Not a trace," Captor Corporal answered, "She's playing with us."

"I say we blast every single bit of sewage until it's no more!" Duel Dune declared. But what happened next saved them the trouble.

"What a waste of time," came Sewage Breath's voice, "Why even bother with such a pathetic tactic?"

"Why don't you bother to show some dignity and reveal yourself?" Digiball retorted.

At those words, Tenku was first to notice a lump appear on the watery surface. "Hey, look!" she called, pointing at it.

"Okay, you found me," Sewage Breath said, "But if you want a real showdown, then follow me."

"Lead the way," Pokéskid said, and Sewage Breath complied. The trip led everyone here and there, through sewage fountains and endless tunnels. Back on the surface, Chicago faced déjà vu with the putrid torrent and chaos. Finally, the lump stopped at a black chunk clogging up the above community's local treatment plant.

"Alright, you've stopped," Tenku demanded, "Now prepare to be blown away!" But several more lumps popped up, taking on the same shape as before. Sewage Breath had multiplied!

"Okay, what is this?" Digiball asked, "A sci-fi theater?"

"Even though I'm one, I'm many!" one clone said.

"And vice versa!" another added.

"Try all you want, you'll never defeat me and us!" a third chimed.

"Take this!" Duel Dune yelled, "Dark Magic!" With a blast of dark energy via the Dark Magician, she took out several clones.

"Twin Scissor Claw!"

"Sandstorm!"

"Masenko!" The battle was massive enough for blasts that reached the surface to replace the spewing fountains. But the Cardz' efforts proved to be in vain. For every clone eliminated, seven more took her place. As the others fought on, Pokéskid stepped aside to review.

"This is getting us nowhere," she muttered, "Every time we take one out, several more show up to make things more difficult. Hmm…" Then her eyes caught a clone situated far back. Studying the other clones a bit closer, she noticed that the one in back had yellow eyes in contrast to all the others having white. The other Cardz suddenly got knocked back for a loop.

"Why aren't you helping us?" Captor Corporal asked.

"Quick!" Pokéskid commanded, "Go for the one in the back! She's the ringleader!" This shocked all of the clones completely, but none could stop the Cardz from attacking the yellow-eyed clone with more fire to boot no matter how much effort it took. As this one burned, so did the others plus the sewage plaguing the city. The group then retreated for Pokéskid to form a new strategy. "Captor Corporal, keep the hot power going. Digiball, you and I will increase liquidity. Tenku, you blow up that black ball clogging the plant. Then Duel Dune will blow Sewage Breath through the pipe. Hydro Pump!"

"Blasting Spout!" Digiball followed up with one of Whamon's attacks.

"Fiery card!" Captor Corporal boiled the extra watery sewage like there was no tomorrow.

"Orange Blasts!" Tenku blasted the clog to a million pieces.

"Here's a little gift from Mai Kujaku's favorite monsters!" Duel Dune retorted as she grew Harpy Lady arms. She then flapped them furiously, forcing Sewage Breath through the drain.

"Forgive me, Mistress Jenga!" Sewage Breath called out, forever swept through.

"That's the first outlandish experience we've had in weeks!" Yuri declared later that day on the way to the card shop, "And best of all, we don't stink anymore! What a delightful experience!"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you my training would come in handy?" Laurel said.

"You did," Zenith answered, "But you needn't worry about anyone complaining."

"I must say, you truly had something going there," Kensho said, stepping out from the shadows with Akira.

"You're still watching our every move?" Tabitha asked.

"That we are," Akira answered happily, "Well done."

"If that's true, you must be our guardian angels," Dana playfully assumed. The two adults just smiled.

"Well, something like that," Kensho said, "Now what say we resume the training we started earlier? Heroes aren't born overnight."

"By all means," Zenith said, and they all continued on back to the shop.

The End


	6. 06: Drill Or Kill

Yet another robbery was afoot downtown. A crook dressed in a skier's costume ran off carrying a stolen drill bit, with the police hot on his trail as always. The man poured on his fullest speed until he reached an alleyway. He jumped into a dumpster, slammed the lid down, and made not a peep. The police soon entered and glanced around. "Where'd he go?" one asked.

"Search everywhere!" another commanded, "Leave nothing untraced!" They peered into trashcans, looked up the alley walls, and overturned boxes. But no one bothered checking the dumpster until it was too late.

"Say, how about that dumpster?" a third cop suggested. But before they could discover the crook, a dump truck uplifted the container and emptied all contents. After it drove off, the officers searched the container itself.

"Figures," a fourth officer commented, "You suppose he got away in that dump truck?"

"Either that, or he ran somewhere else," the first one said, "Let's move out!" The truck made its way straight to the dump, releasing its load into an extra moist spot. The saturated patch acted as quicksand, absorbing the helpless crook as he struggled to free himself.

"Help! Help me!"

"The plants look terrible," Nadir noted. On this particular day, Zenith and her sister helped their mom with gardening. Mrs. Baker, with the same long black hair as Nadir and clad in a rainbow-striped t-shirt, long gray skirt, and brown sandals, retained a vintage demeanor in several categories. For example, she made her own tools from dead sticks and worn metal parts more often than buying any. Before the two girls were ever born, Mrs. Baker grew up on an old-school reservation until she moved to the city. And the rest was history.

"The soil's played out," Zenith commented, observing the ground. Mrs. Baker grabbed a handful of dirt, chewed it, and then spat it out.

"Yucky, Mom," Nadir said, making a disgusted face, "Why do you bother?"

"That's how we identified the nutrient level back in my day. And I tell you, it still works."

"So how do we propose to solve the problem?" Zenith asked.

"Use this." Mrs. Baker produced a full fertilizer bag. "My own recipe, mixed in with some limestone, loam, and pure silicon dioxide."

"What's sili-whatsie?" Nadir asked.

"Silicon dioxide is the scientific term for sand," Zenith explained.

"Bravo, Zenith," Mrs. Baker congratulated, "So, how about a hole?" The two girls complied and dug a large one. Halfway through, they stumbled into an earthworm. Nadir was disgusted again while Zenith picked it up and watched it with interest. The worm squiggled in her hand.

"Eww!" Nadir complained, "You're holding a worm!"

"Aw, it's so cute," Zenith said.

"Cute? It's not cute, it's gross!"

Zenith jiggled the worm with her pointer finger. "Earthworms can be cute. Just look at it wiggle." She smiled and slightly giggled at the worm's movements. "Okay, little one, off you go." Zenith set the worm down elsewhere, and she and Nadir continued digging. Mrs. Baker soon found the right moment for them to cease.

"Alright, that'll do nicely." The mother poured the fertilizer into the hole, and the girls covered and disguised the spot. Then all three stared gladly. "Just wait, girls. That mixture of mine will do wonders for the plants in no time."

"I'll say," Zenith agreed.

"Hurry along, girls," Mrs. Baker said, "It's nearly time for school."

An hour later, after quickly washing up and packing, Zenith found herself on the bus surrounded by her friends. Dana noticed a sleepy look in her eyes; he still had lots to learn about how things worked in Illinois. "Didn't get enough sleep last night?" he suggested.

"Nah, her mom woke her up extra early again for more gardening," Yuri explained.

"That woman sure knows her stuff when it comes to growing anything," Laurel admitted, "She's old school, and it still works."

"I don't get it," Dana said.

"That means she uses old Native American techniques to keep her garden fruitful," Tabitha translated.

"Y'know, Dana, one of these days I oughta invite you over to my house for a luncheon or two," Zenith suggested.

"No foolin'!" Laurel agreed, "Her mom makes one mean vegetable stew!" As soon as the bus arrived at the school, everyone except Zenith hurried off the bus. She'd brought something to share with the rest of the class, and to wear her backpack instead of holding it with both arms would dislocate her shoulders. Fortunately, it wasn't so heavy that it would take her hours to get off the bus.

"Say, what's in the bag, Zenith?" Tabitha asked.

"My show-and-tell project. It's sure to make waves."

"I'll say," Yuri agreed. Even on the way to the classroom, Zenith couldn't go very quickly. So being the friends they were, the others helped bring the project to her desk. Then they all settled down for Ms. Nekron's discourse.

"Alright, class. Before we begin today's lesson, does anyone have anything for show-and-tell?" As usual, everyone had something to share out loud. Not a soul in the room stood still. Zenith chose to be the last one up. After another kid went back to their seat, Ms. Nekron's attention turned towards the Shawnee girl. "Thank you, Sally. Miss Baker, do you have anything to share?"

"That I do." Zenith picked up her loaded backpack and headed straight for the classroom's front. She set it down on Ms. Nekron's desk, and despite the constant struggling and fumbling, took out what appeared as a large, plump, elongated green vegetable. All were surprised.

"What's that?" someone asked.

"A zucchini that my mom grew last week. It's only a sample of what lies in her garden."

"How'd she do it?" another asked.

"Old growing methods, and a special fertilizer she mixes herself. Don't ask me what, she's kept it a secret from even me and my sister."

"Can we eat it?" a third asked.

Zenith turned towards the teacher. "Well, if it's all right by Ms. Nekron."

"By all means. Allow me." Ms. Nekron produced a kitchen knife from her desk and proceeded to carve up the zucchini. Everyone received a portion, and Zenith placed extra zucchini leftover in a paper bag to save for later. She then put both that and her backpack in her locker and returned to the classroom. "Let's all thank Miss Baker here for that lovely snack."

"Thanks, Zenith!" the classroom announced.

Back in the dump, the same crook who stole the drill bit somehow dug his way out and recollected his thoughts. "Whew! What a rush." Then he realized something important, slapped his pockets, and searched frantically. "Where is it? Where's that bit?" The crook scrambled all over the place and dug frantically at his unofficial landing spot. But it was no use; he'd lost the drill bit. "Ugh! I can't believe it!" The man shrugged and continued on, his stroll seemingly lasting hours. Every time he passed one trash mound, his feet always appeared to lead him back to it. The dump was one real maze if he ever did experience one! "Yeesh. This is getting me nowhere. How do these bozos who work here manage to find their way out? It's a labyrinth here!" Then he stubbed his toe on something. "Ouch!" The crook looked down and jolted at the sight. "Well, whaddaya know! The bit!" He picked it up and danced around. "Yes! I'm rich! I found the diamond drill bit!"

"That's all we wanna hear," came some voices from behind the piles. Out of hiding came the police. The crook made a break for it, but three officers intercepted and caused him to lose hold of the drill bit. It flew into the air, only to land in a thick black puddle and sink.

The crook couldn't believe his eyes. "No! My little gold mine!"

"You're getting the shaft where you're going," an officer said, "Come on." The officers left with the crook in tow, not minding what happened to the bit so long as it never fell into the wrong hands. But after it sunk an inch below the surface, a familiar tentacle reached down and pulled it up effortlessly. Jenga blew the goop off and inspected the drill bit, figuring out why the crook deemed it so valuable.

"A drill bit made entirely of diamond. Go figure." Then a spark lit up in Jenga's brain. "That's it! This is much too valuable for the black market." She set the bit down on the ground and breathed gas on it. The bit glowed a mix of olive-green and periwinkle before growing a chain of blue spheres from the bottom, ending in one the size of a mansion. Another drill-tipped chain grew opposite of the first, followed by drill-bit feet on the bottom and a drill-bit head on top. The monster wiggled his arms, patiently spun his green feet, and turned his white eyes on Jenga.

"I must drill. I need to dig! What's the task?"

"I shall call you Drill Kill. And how does an earthquake sound?"

"Oh, yeah! Now you're talkin'!"

"Then go. Drill the city a new subway system." Drill Kill complied and tunneled down underneath Chicago, leaving a pit in his wake.

"Dang, what a lunch," Dana complimented, admiring Zenith's lunch. Alongside the zucchini from earlier, she'd packed along some carrots and peppers. Sometimes she ate school lunch, other times she brought her own. Zenith built up quite a ruckus with her mom's homegrown produce, and some people even tried replicating it. But alas, none could compare.

"Thanks," Zenith replied.

"That was some movie we watched back in class," Tabitha commented, "Do we get earthquakes up here?"

"I forget," Yuri said, "We might, though. You never can tell."

"Say, I had a thought myself," Laurel piped up, "Do we use our powers for natural disasters?"

"I don't see why we shouldn't," Zenith answered, "After all, we are helping people in distress. It doesn't sound selfish." Suddenly, a tremor surprised all and loosened a light fixture above a small child. Tabitha caught this just in time.

"Look out!" She pushed the child out of the way as the fixture broke loose and crashed to the floor, fortunately hurting no one. In stepped the principal, a red-haired old woman wearing a leisure suit. She looked down upon Tabitha and the small child.

"What happened, dears?"

"I saw it all," the lunch man said as he ran up, "This young lady saved that child's life."

"I see. Well, we can't let one little incident spoil the day. Maintenance!" As the janitors and maintenance people repaired and cleaned up, the kids continued eating lunch.

"Well, Tabitha, there's your answer," Laurel said, "Looks like we do get earthquakes."

"But if we transform into the Cardz, our cover's blown," Dana said.

"We don't have to transform at this very second," Zenith said, "For now, the danger's passed."

"You don't suppose Jenga's up to her old tricks again, do ya?" Yuri suggested.

"She'll just hafta come back later," Tabitha said, "We're in school right now. We leave, and we won't be able to explain it."

Later that day, Ms. Nekron's class worked diligently in taking down notes from the board. Only five particular kids couldn't concentrate because they knew deep inside trouble would strike again as it did earlier. And they couldn't've been more correct. Before long, another tremor rocked the school. This time, it startled the students by putting out all the lights.

"Now class, just stay calm," Ms. Nekron reassured, "Everything will be alright."

"Attention, school," came the principal's voice over the intercom, "This is Principal Beymer speaking. Do not, I repeat, do not panic. What you've just experienced is the beginning of an earthquake. But fear not, for we're in a safe zone. Kindly make your way to the football field in an orderly manner. That is all."

"You heard the principal," Ms. Nekron said, "Line up and march straight to the football field immediately." Zenith's group exited last. Before anyone could catch them, they dashed into a closet and hid.

"No question about it, Jenga's behind all this," Dana said.

"But if we leave, Ms. Nekron will get suspicious," Tabitha protested.

"Forget Ms. Nekron," Laurel said, "Worry about the entire school instead."

"After we transform, we'll create clones to take our places," Zenith explained, "The rest of you can clone yourselves, right?"

"You bet!" Yuri said, "Off we go!" After transforming, the Cardz slinked out of the closet and snuck into another empty classroom without a peep to make clones of themselves.

"Substitute!"

"Twin card!"

"Doppleganger!" That done, the clones then disguised themselves as the kids. Then the real Cardz poured on the heavy pressure.

"Act as us, and do what Ms. Nekron tells you to do," Digiball instructed, "We'll come back before you know it. Understand?" Expressionless, the clones nodded in reply and joined the rest of the class. Then the Cardz zoomed out of the school in a flash.

Downtown, a crack sprang up in the middle of everything. Nobody had time to understand since it was a worst-case scenario. No matter how reinforced the skyscrapers started out, they still fell towards the main chasm until the Cardz sprang into action. While Digiball and Duel Dune handled the falling buildings, the others reconnected the street. Pokéskid and Tenku grabbed hold of the ground and pulled while Captor Corporal inspected things. "Hey, don't just stand there!" Tenku called out, "Help us!"

"I'm thinking!" Captor Corporal called back, then finding his idea, "Flower card!" He produced seeds from his hands and threw them into the crack where they grew instantly and forced themselves into the surrounding dirt.

"Well, it's helping a little," Pokéskid observed, "But we'll need more! Bulk Up!" Her expanded muscles tightened her grip.

"Me too!" Tenku said, expanding hers as well. All that help reconnected both halves. Duel Dune and Digiball soon completed theirs.

"Now, to find the jerk responsible," Duel Dune announced. In response, the ground resumed rumbling.

"Look!" Digiball pointed out. The tip of a drill bit rose up to the surface, followed by arms, body, and feet: a glaring Drill Kill.

"The name's Drill Kill. If you wanted to rudely halt destruction for the purpose of a quick demise, you could've just asked me."

"Look at that thing!" Tenku exclaimed, "He's gotta be the largest balloon I ever did see!"

"Time to dig!" Drill Kill spun his drills furiously towards the Cardz, but Pokéskid countered with Horn Drill.

"Spread out, everyone! Go help the people!"

"But what about you?" Captor Corporal asked.

"Nobody knows drills like yours truly! I'll handle this myself!"

"You heard her," Duel Dune said, "Let's go!" As the other Cardz helped people around, Pokéskid had her hands full going against Drill Kill. He stretched his arms toward her only to get them entangled in Wrap and Vine Whip. The two remained stuck together.

"Argh," Drill Kill grunted, "You can't keep me under wraps forever." Pokéskid knew that but had another plan. She retracted her arms and stood still in the air. "Hah! You give in? Ready to admit that I'm the actual drill expert?"

"When in doubt, improvise. Sandstorm!" Pokéskid blew sand directly in Drill Kill's eyes, blinding him for the moment.

"Ouch! That burns!" Pokéskid then powered up and assaulted with Hyper Beam, which bounced right off his torso. "I haven't a clue what tingled my belly, but I'll find out soon enough!" This was getting Pokéskid nowhere. She landed a distance away and powered up even more. But Drill Kill regained his eyesight, slammed his arm downward, and disrupted her efforts in a slam. Then he picked her up and squeezed.

"Ugh! You may have me, but I will break free!"

"Currently, you're in no position for such a tactic. Not even your friends can save you now!" But Drill Kill couldn't have been more wrong.

"Spellbinding Circle!" A ring of symbolically shaped energy trapped Drill Kill in place. Now he had to struggle.

"What is this? Why can't I move?"

"My Spellbinding Circle, of course!" Duel Dune retorted, "That should hold you!"

"No matter! I still have your friend!"

"Wrong again," Pokéskid disproved, "Minimize!" She shrunk to the size of a doll and simply slipped out of Drill Kill's grip. Then Growth turned her back to her normal size. While the monster struggled with the Spellbinding Circle, the Cardz observed the situation.

"How do we beat 'im?" Captor Corporal asked.

"Well, it's useless to attack the body," Digiball said, "We'd hafta go for the head."

"Negative," Pokéskid said, "My Horn Drill felt it being hard as diamonds. It's only sensible a diamond could last that long."

"We better do something fast!" Tenku cried, "Look!" Duel Dune's hold on Drill Kill finally gave out, and he freely waved his arms in joy.

"Oh yeah! Drill Kill's back in the game!" So he quickly seized hold of Tenku and Duel Dune for another squeeze. Pokéskid aimed for the head while Digiball and Captor Corporal each chose a foot. Drill Kill turned his attention on the Native American leader. "Oh, goody! More playmates!" He spun his drills around furiously.

"Go for the drill bits!" Pokéskid commanded, "Bulk Up! Strength!" That combination let her grab Drill Kill's head and hold it still.

"Hey, knock it off!" The others followed suit.

"Hold Beam!" Digiball stopped one of the feet.

"Dark Sanctuary!" Duel Dune infected the drill that captured her with a ghost from her hands.

"I gotcha now! Super Saiyan!" A transformed Tenku clutched the other hand.

"Dark card!" The other foot turned colorless and stopped courtesy of Captor Corporal. As this all happened, the drills' tremors spread throughout the rest of the body and made Drill Kill rumble unpleasantly like gelatin.

"Stop it! Stop now!"

"You're not boss over us," Digiball retorted. The tremors wouldn't stop even for a second. Drill Kill wobbled violently until a bump appeared on his belly and began spurting out strong vapors. The Cardz needed act quickly.

"He's buckling!" Duel Dune cried, "Let's get 'im outta here before he blows everything up!" So they flew up to the planet's exosphere and let gravity pull them back. Not once did the Cardz let go; they used the physiology of both atmosphere and gravity to burn Drill Kill to dust. Fortunately, their powers protected them from the effects. Once directly over the Sears Tower, Tenku found the diamond drill bit in her hand.

"Well, whaddaya know. A diamond drill."

"We can return it to the authorities on the way back to school," Captor Corporal said, "Let's git." As the Cardz flew back, cheers for them rang high. There was no question as to how the people recognized heroes.

"Here, catch!" Tenku tossed the drill to an officer, and he nodded as if to thank her.

Back at the school, the clones waited near a bush patiently for the real McCoys to return. The Cardz snuck into another bush and motioned for the clones to come towards them. Both sides fused in wake of de-transformation and joining the class. As everyone went back inside, Ms. Nekron noticed peculiar black markings on the five faces.

"You look as if you've been busy the whole time."

"Yeah, we thought we'd keep the bushes company," Tabitha 'explained', "After all, plants can get lonely."

"Is that a fact?" Ms. Nekron asked.

"Yep," Zenith said, "And my mom will be the first to tell."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ms. Nekron decided. The kids nodded in reply and just exchanged smiles.

The End


	7. 10: Cheap

No matter what Chicago's criminal empire threw at the Cardz, they always managed to topple it. Gangsters, con artists, and even Jenga and her creations failed time and time again. About the only thing the Cardz could depend on from their enemies was their rough and tough demeanor. But the kids would soon fight fools too incompetent to conquer a village, much less a major city. As a matter of fact, they caught it on TV at Laurel's house. Who would enjoy a cheap cartoon? They only watched it to pass time while waiting for the real show (another story altogether). Nothing came out of this one except for the usual: A villain concocted a scheme, gloated and laughed maniacally, and got stomped easily by the hero. What a waste of animation. "You may have one the battle, but the war's not over!" the villain declared.

"Gee, you don't say," Yuri remarked. And as it ended, a caption appeared at the bottom of the screen. Then a news bulletin replacing the whole thing instantly made them happier.

"Thank goodness fer that," Tabitha said, "It's about time they did something about that waste." However, Laurel thought otherwise about this development like it were an omen of doom.

"Oh no!"

"What's wrong, Laurel?" Zenith asked.

"Whenever this news thing pops up, it goes on until at least 3 o'clock in the morning. We've missed our show!"

"Maybe it's just temporary," Dana suggested. Not a chance. The kids waited several more minutes for the show which never came on. The news report now dominated the screen like an impatient child pushing other customers aside for a simple water park attraction. Laurel turned off the TV, and the kids stood up and stretched.

"Well, that's that," Zenith decided, "C'mon." So they went walk instead. Too bad the cheap presentation dominated their concentration.

"Had I known we'd have to watch that poor excuse for entertainment and miss the good stuff, I'd've waited outside," Tabitha commented.

"You're telling me," Yuri agreed, "I tell you, no animator these days knows how to draw a proper animated show. Yeah, Digimon has its flaws here and there, but I've most certainly seen worse."

"You're fortunate," Zenith said, "Pokémon follows the same formula as all of those cheap cartoons intended for young and dimwitted audiences. The makers went down the drain after the first two seasons."

"Seems I've nothing to complain about," Dana said, "Cardcaptor Sakura is pretty much everything **I** ever wanted in a show."

"Well, we have it superb in real life," Laurel reminded, "Jenga's anything but cheap. If she were, we'd have little reason to put up much of a fight. I certainly hope we never run into someone so stupid."

"That makes five of us," Tabitha agreed.

Yet as nature would have it, anybody but a billion-IQ genius currently made themselves the center of attention in as bad a way as they thought of. Down at Lincoln Park Zoo, a trio of stereotypical robbers (two men and one woman) prepared for daily mischief by targeting a group preoccupied by some giraffes. One man whispered in the other's ear, and the woman watched patiently.

"Okay, Hooper. As discreetly as possible, sneak up behind that young man over there and steal his wallet. Then go for the others."

"Gotcha." As Hooper snuck up, the woman complained to the other man.

"I don't get it, Jujube. Why does Hooper get all the fun?"

"Don't worry, Twig. You'll get your chance soon enough." Hooper followed the instructions quite nicely with nobody suspecting a thing. But he winced the second he heard a disapproving voice.

"Pardon." Hooper turned to face an officer looking down on him.

Seeing this, Jujube walked over to the scene and pretended to scold Hooper. "Whatsamatter with you? Your wallet is in your own pocket! I've told you this several times! My apologies, officer, this won't happen again." Believing the fib, the officer nodded and walked away. Then Jujube escorted Hooper back to where Twig stood.

"What's the deal, boss? Why'd you yell at me?"

"I didn't really mean any of that. I just couldn't afford to get taken back to the slammer."

"Did I hate that place," Twig piped up, "So, on to Plan B?"

Where did Plan B occur? Why, none other than the Art Institute of Chicago. Maybe these crooks would do better stealing fine art and selling it to the black market. Jujube explained the plan to his cohorts once more. "Alright. We'll work together this time. When no one's looking, we dash for the nearest art piece and blow. But we better keep on our toes. Don't wanna cause a commotion."

"That's brilliant, boss," Hooper complimented. With all other backs turned, the dimwits walked straight for a painting of airborne fruit. But they were less than successful same as last time. "I got it!"

"Quiet, dummy!" Jujube whispered, "Everybody'll hear us!"

"How d'ya get this thing down off the wall?" Twig wondered.

"A nip and tuck here," Hooper answered.

"Why don't you two imbeciles keep it down!" Jujube scolded. Too late. All perplexed eyes darted at them with the crooks returning nervousness until a guard strode up and broke the silence. Her presence only made the crooks more uneasy.

"Can I help you three?" Fortunately for them, Twig conjured another lie that the two men gladly followed along with.

"We were just straightening out this painting." Jujube and Hooper acted to her words.

"Yeah," Jujube said, "How does the management expect people to enjoy quality art when paintings are tilted?"

"That depends," the guard answered, "Say, do I know you people from somewhere?"

A third lie instantly became Hooper's responsibility. "Maybe we're famous, like football players or something. Hey, I know! We ride, tame, herd, and raise dolphins! We're dolphin ranchers!" So the three pretended to ride on and buck imaginary dolphins.

"Well, we should get a move on," Jujube finished, "The dolphins are due for their checkup at the veterinarian."

"Giddy up, Bottlenose!" Twig yelled, and the crooks 'rode' their way out of the museum. Onlookers just grew even more perplexed. The trio then stopped pretending once they reached the last step of the building's front stairs. More complaints abound. "That was the most humiliating experience of my life! Our reputation is scarred!"

"Our reputation disappeared the minute we came into being," Hooper argued, "Every time."

"C'mon, you mugs," Jujube ordered.

Minutes later, the group continued scheming in an alleyway. They huddled over an old wooden table staring at a map of Chicago. "You got another good plan cooking?" Hooper queried.

"I've been thinking too small," Jujube spoke, "These silly thefts here and there are child's play for big-time experts like us. What we need is something the whole city will never forget."

"Another brilliant idea, alright," Twig said, "Whadja have in mind?"

"Taking out the Cardz. And to do that, we must be exposed to radioactivity and let some ferocious creature bite us so we'll mutate into something just as hideous. Next, we capture the Cardz and destroy them with whatever powers we gain. After that, the world is ours!" The three then broke out in idiotic maniacal laughter until a fourth voice broke the sentiment.

"Concocting poor plans as usual, I see."

"My plan isn't poor, it's foolproof!" Jujube argued to his partners, mistaking them for the verbal assailant.

"Of course it is," Twig agreed.

"Yeah, I think the same," Hooper chimed.

"Well, **I** sure don't." The crooks' eyes widened, and their faces twisted into scowls. A slow turnaround traded provocation for shock at the sight of Jenga. Even this dense trio knew how high in power she stood.

"Uh, hello there, Iris," Twig greeted nervously, "What a pleasant surprise."

Jenga shook her head in resignation. Being the head of Chicago's criminal empire regardless of physique, Jenga knew this particular trio all too well alongside everyone else. Known as the Evil People, and only by the individual names they'd taken, the crooks really hadn't a reputation within the empire at all. No, they were some of the dumbest criminals that ever lived. Something always went wrong every time the Evil People attempted a crime. And even if they actually succeeded (a rare occurrence for them indeed), they still somehow managed to foul it all up. Strange how Jenga wanted to help them anyhow. "Thick as usual, I see. You still haven't learned that my name is now Jenga. I know longer go by the name of Iris Sanford."

"Right, what did we say," Jujube said, "I guess I don't hafta explain anything since you probably already heard us."

"I did. So you wanna impress the boys and girls?"

"If you mean the other mugs, yes!" Hooper announced, "I don't suppose you could…um…"

"Why, of course I can."

The trio became ecstatic. "I must be dreaming!" Twig said, "Chicago's greatest criminal mind helping us, the Evil People!"

"Now we'll show everyone else how 'pathetic' we really are!" Hooper retorted, "Wait'll they see us impress them!"

"Okay, Jenga, do your stuff!" Jujube requested. In response, Jenga breathed green gas onto the Evil People, who coughed and gagged as it completely concealed them. She watched in interest as the three glowed and pulsated within. This should be good for a laugh, she thought. When it cleared, the crooks admired their new forms. Jujube resembled the stereotypical villain with a black overcoat, cape, hat, goatee, and mustache. Hooper was now a gray lasso with a face on end. And Twig basically wore the same as Jujube, only female.

"Oh, goody!" Twig declared, "Now I really am Evil Girl!"

"Just call me Evil Man," Jujube said.

"And I'm Evil Rope!" Hooper finished.

"So you are," Jenga said, "I'll see you dummies later." The mutant crime boss switched to bus mode and drove off, leaving the Evil People to contemplate. Now they hadn't need to do what they earlier planned. Jenga sure changed their lives, so it seemed.

"My good mates," Jujube said, "What say we go test our new abilities on those kids who meddle in Jenga's affairs?"

"Battle ready!" the other two exclaimed in agreement. On down the road, Jenga drove off to no place in particular. She seriously hated the Evil People as much as she did AW. The only difference was the lack of a grudge against the trio like the animal abuser. Jenga helped the group merely to make things worse for them rather than escalate them into noteworthy public enemies. Pity the Evil People were too full of themselves to even realize the weather. Who cared?

On Polk Street, the kids found a way to clear their minds of the stupidity they'd watched. No better way to do that than playing in a cardboard tunnel along a bunch of tots. "Help, I'm lost!" Laurel cried playfully, "I can't find my way out!"

"Go to the left," a little kid said, and the Kenyan preteen complied. Everyone cheered when she exited.

"You made it!" Tabitha said.

"Yes, I did."

"This sure is fun," Yuri said. All suddenly closed their ears and recoiled when downtown wreckage ground against their ear drums.

"Ouch, that hurts!" another little one complained. Zenith eyed her teammates and shook her head as if to say, 'Duty calls'. So they ran off but then stopped when a third tot called out.

"Wait! Where're you going?"

"We just realized something we must do!" Dana called back, "You better go on home! We'll catch up later!" And when the coast was clear, the kids as the Cardz rushed to the crime scene even quicker.

"The sounds are coming from all over," Duel Dune said, "Where do we go?"

"I have a pretty good idea," Pokéskid answered, "Just follow me." When they arrived on the scene, the Evil People stopped their rampage and faced the Cardz. It wasn't much of a rampage, though: They mostly scratched and dented whatever they got their hands on without doing too much. Nevertheless, this vandalism must be dealt with.

"Surrender, Cardz!" Evil Man shot out, "You're no match for the Evil People! I'm Evil Man!"

"I'm Evil Rope!"

"And I'm Evil Girl! You've met your match!" But these words annoyed the Cardz more than it phased them. They could only stare at the transformed morons, dumbfounded. Rather than believing an expert artist like Jenga had any involvement in their less-than-improved alteration, one might assume the Evil People characteristically crawled out of a cheap Saturday morning cartoon show.

"Okay, what kind of villains are you?" Tenku asked.

"Your worst nightmare!" Evil Rope answered.

"Now, then," Evil Man said, "To start off, what would an evil genius say to make the fight look good for him?"

"Dragon's Gunfire!" Duel Dune bombarded the bogus baddies with a stream of dragon breath since she and her friends would rather not wait for their opponents to attack. The Evil People dealt damage, stood back up, and gave their own annoyed looks.

"What's the big idea?" Evil Girl complained, "We haven't even said anything yet! And what's worse, you could've made me break a nail!" The Cardz only sighed in exasperation. Why couldn't the Evil People knock off their stupidity and just attack?

"And to think I'm the one who frets over simple things," Digiball commented.

"Look, you three are unusually terrible opposition, so I'll say this only once," Pokéskid told them, "Either make a move, or let us defeat you and get it over with. 'Cause you're seriously wasting our time."

"Gimme a moment to think," Evil Man requested, and the Cardz complied without question. Alas, this 'thinking' didn't take the moron very long. "I got it! Follow me and my partners to our hideout, and we'll begin a showdown!" The Evil People then ran off with the unenthused Cardz following. On the way to the hideout, the Evil People did their best to instill fear in all available faces, too busy to notice that the denizens felt no less quizzically. The so-called villains led the Cardz into an abandoned laboratory next to the Lake Point Tower only to disappear instantly.

"Where'd they go?" Captor Corporal wondered.

Duel Dune on the other hand became more interested in the surroundings. "More importantly, where are we?"

"An old lab, that's where," Tenku answered, "I've been up and down, and I know this city like the palm of my hand."

"If you just led us here to play hide-n-seek, then we're leaving!" Pokéskid called out.

"That's too bad," Evil Rope called back, "Then you'd miss our little party." Without warning, five racks opened up from the left wall. Metal tentacles sprung out and grabbed the heroes by the ankles and wrists. These tentacles pulled them into position and were replaced by cuffs. Nothing new; the Cardz could've broken free any time they wished but didn't feel like it. The lights came on as the Evil People reappeared.

"So, how do you like our little trap?" Evil Girl taunted.

"What makes you even think we like it?" Digiball replied.

The Evil People continued their stupid jeers; did they have such short attention spans! "Not so tough now, are you?" Evil Rope added.

"Actually, we can," Tenku countered, "We just don't want to right now."

"You're so fearful you can't admit defeat," Evil Man finished. The Evil People then walked over to a covered-up object and pulled off the sheet to reveal a hi-tech sonic laser, perhaps one of the most advanced of its time. Now the Cardz must worry. Having such idiots operate something this powerful definitely meant trouble. Not just anyone could run a magnificent device.

"Lemme guess: This is where you gloat about how you'll use that laser to conquer the world and all that mumbo-jumbo," Captor Corporal said. These kids knew their cartoons all too well.

"You're sharp," Evil Rope said, "With the XP-700 Desolator Beam, we could conquer more than just a city! We'd conquer an entire world! And another, and another, and another...!"

"And since you five are trapped, the Evil People win!" Evil Girl interrupted, "No one this planet can stop us! Whaddaya think?"

"Snoresville!" the Cardz shot out in unison.

"How dare you speak that way in the presence of the Evil People!" Evil Man yelled.

"Easy," Tenku retorted, "Some 'Evil People' you are. The only thing you copiers are good for is speeches. We'd think by now you'd be a little more original than this. You talk the talk, but I ain't seein' you walk the walk."

"Oh, we're unoriginal," Evil Girl spat out, "Ever look at a reflective surface? Now that's unoriginality."

"Yeah, take a look at you," Evil Rope piped up, pointing at Pokéskid, "You copied that Pokéman thing or other. Who's not original now?"

"It's Pokémon!" a peeved Pokéskid yelled, "Get it right!"

"Okay, I'm officially bored," Evil Man decided. Each trio member then grabbed a smaller ray gun and aimed for the Cardz. "Say goodbye, fools!" But the Evil People didn't attack just yet, starting off by smirking and snickering at the heroes.

"So, you gonna attack?" Digiball asked.

"Quiet!" Evil Girl said, "We're savoring the moment!" The Cardz shook their resigned heads to each other and easily broke free of the restraints. Then came a true face-off against the shocked idiots.

"This can't be!" Evil Rope said.

"It is," Tenku said, "Kamehameha!"

"Solar Beam!"

"Power card!"

"Stamping Destruction!"

"Justice Bullet!" The pooled discharge sent the Evil People out onto the docks, even decimating the old lab.

Except for the Cardz, anything inside the lab was now forever lost. Not only had the Evil People been reduced back to what they used to be for humans, but the cops stood on the scene prematurely to escort. "Let me go!" Twig demanded, "This is no way to treat a lady!"

"I am a lady," one of the officers replied.

"Thanks, Cardz," another officer said, "Couldn't've done it without you."

"Only happy to help," Captor Corporal replied.

"I just don't understand," Jujube said, "My plan was foolproof. How'd I fail?"

"You old-school villains are all the same," Duel Dune said, "You always waste your time with gloating, speeches, and laughing. You're so full of yourselves that you purposely wait for the heroes to make their moves."

"Ooh, it was all going so well. We would've gotten away with it…"

"We're meddlers and glad of it," Tenku interrupted, "You didn't get away with anything, and that's that."

"Well, we would have…!"

"But you didn't. Now get over yourself!"

"You haven't seen the last of the Evil People! We'll be back!"

"No you won't," a third officer chimed, "You public nuisances are going back to the slammer and get no probation this time." And so the officers drove away with the pouting crooks in tow. The Cardz never felt more relieved to get that mess out of their hair.

"Good thing that's over," Yuri commented later on after returning to their respective street, "Another second, and I would've passed out."

"That's so true," Zenith agreed, "I hope we never encounter any more appleheads again."

"Well, there's always something to smile about after a tiring job," Tabitha said, pointing out to a familiar sight. After waiting patiently for the return, the same tots they met earlier came up and greeted the preteens.

"Have we got patience!" a tot said to them, "Are you done being busy and ready to play with us?"

"Darlings, we are there!" Laurel declared. Crawling through a cardboard tunnel and overall playing with little ones covered the remainder.

The End


	8. 12: More Cold Than Cold

Rain or shine, the Cardz remained true to their duties to bring down the lawless. Add on monsters to the scene, and they had an official recipe for would-be disaster. And why exactly did Jenga send others to do her work rather than face the heroes herself like in the beginning? Alas, nobody knew why. Jenga could manipulate anything and anyone around, no matter how shapeless or simple it appeared. It came as a surprise for some Chicago criminals as the snowy weather arrived. Anyone in the city always saw or heard something important, but stories and sights alone for some just weren't enough. There were those needing a demonstration to believe. While at rest today, Jenga decided to do catch up with her comrades. A pair of criminals escorted her down various hallways to an area outside where one of the sub-bosses waited. "Why are you leading me?" she asked, "I've been up and down these corridors time and time again."

"Well, you know us," one of them replied playfully, "It gives a more formal feeling."

"Big DD's been waiting ta meet ya in person, again," the other put in. Opening the door revealed a cement floor and a porch above on stilts. Lights shone dimly on the surrounding walls. A yard of snow on the outer regions blockaded the entire area, and a group patiently stood in wait for the trio. Alongside more coordinated gangsters, a disoriented ogre-like woman stood in a corner. And in the middle of the group was another ogre-like woman but rather tidy. This one must be the aforementioned Big DD.

"Ah, Iris," Big DD greeted, "Long time, no see."

"It's 'Jenga', boss," a member corrected.

"That's fine." Big DD walked around studying Jenga's physique. "Interesting getup. They kick you outta a chemical plant or somethin'?"

"Close enough," Jenga answered, "Actually, I kicked myself out. But that's not the point. If you've a favor, you've asked the right mutant."

"No foolin'," Big DD said, "I hear you're pretty powerful and strong with this new form of yours. In fact, with all those freaks runnin' around, you're about the last word on the streets."

"So I've heard," Jenga assured, "Your ears haven't deceived you. I am the queen."

"Of course you are. But, y'see that girl in the back?" Big DD pointed to the disoriented woman. "We call her Who-Is. And she's a bit of a skeptic. Able to dent a piece of steel with her molars, she thinks she's better than even you." Jenga huffed at hearing this. Big DD backed a bit, holding her nervous hands up. "Now, now. Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just tellin' ya what she told us."

"Who ever said I wanted to bite your head off?" Jenga peered over at Who-Is, who merely stared back. Globs of drool hung from her mouth, and she gritted her teeth at the thought of tearing the mutant to pieces. The bus-head accepted. "Is that a challenge?"

"Rarrrghh!" Who-Is grunted in reply. She then walked over to Jenga and mistakenly bit her bumper. Who-Is simply didn't catch on quick enough, or she'd know that the monster proved to be harder than ordinary alloys. The former clutched her mouth in pain and chewed one of the tentacles furiously. But Jenga finally decided that enough was enough.

"My turn." She lifted up Who-Is by the mouth and tossed her against a fence. After that, the mutant crime boss spun her limbs and diamond body round and round furiously. Such made the others recoil.

"Whoa, careful now!" one piped up, "You'll dice us into sushi!" The spinning then stopped. Who-Is got back up on her haunches and charged for Jenga but received a breath of gas in the face, transforming her into a common house rat. Everyone then eyed the tiny creature.

"Well, well," one piped up, a sneer on his face, "Looks like it's rodent squashin' time!" Acknowledging the threat, the rat shrieked in horror and ran off to safety. Big DD faced Jenga once more.

"No question about it. You're the queen!"

"But wasn't she already?" another asked.

"Never mind the boring details. Let's see ya work yer magic again. Create a thing like you always do."

"That depends," Jenga said, "What'll it be?" The gangsters observed the scenery until a spark of inspiration popped up in one head.

"I got it! Look at all this snow! Use the snow!"

"As you wish." Jenga focused gas on a clump of snow this time. It levitated the snow and floated above the group, and both factions of matter fused in a green flash. The glowing mass landed in the middle and became a dim giant snowball. Much anticipation lingered.

"I take it Phase I is complete?" one guessed, "How 'bout Phase II?" In response, a pair of angry black eyes opened up. Then came a black nose and several black dots in the shape of a frown, creating a face. Pine needles popped out from the sides to form arms. In conclusion, pine needle legs lifted the rest of the body up off the ground effortlessly.

"Boom!" Big DD commented, "That's quite a neat snowball y'got there. Whaddaya call it?"

"His name is Needleroozer," Jenga announced.

"I like the sound of that," Needleroozer said, "What'll it be?"

"Bring this entire burg to its knees. Everybody wants snow, and you must give it to them. Increase the average snowfall if you wish."

"Gotcha!" Needleroozer dispersed into snowflakes and flew straight up to the atmosphere. All except Jenga pondered.

"Say, queen," Big DD said, "What's gonna become of us? How're we gonna escape what Needleroozer does to Chicago?"

"Just follow me," Jenga answered.

And while the group left to an unknown part of the city, kids and adults alike in the suburbs engaged in winter activities. A massive snowy downpour had long since hit Chicago before Big DD met up with Jenga that day. The city did lay in Illinois' northern section, which received more snow than the south (and in turn, the south received more rain). Even the five kids who transformed into the Cardz wouldn't let this opportunity pass them up. Dressed in the proper snowy garb, they made like everyone else and used their imaginations with the snow.

"Think fast!" Laurel called out as she and Tabitha engaged in a snowball fight. Yuri laid on the ground and made snow angels like there was no tomorrow. Dana built a miniature hill on which to sled on. And Zenith built a snow fort, dotted with snow sculptures. Never in their lives did they feel so lively and relaxed at the same time.

"I could do this all day," Yuri said, staring up at the sky.

"You're telling me," Dana agreed, having landed in a snow clump after sledding down the artificial hill.

"Yeah, when's the last time we had this much fun?" Tabitha chimed.

"We receive approximately less than 36 inches of rain each year, but the snow makes up for it nicely," Zenith informed, "The average January temperature here is –7 to –3 degrees Centigrade. That's pretty cold, but not as cold as Rockford or Rock Island."

The others admired her speech. "Girl, you are good," Laurel complimented, "But where do you get off to being so smart?"

"I'm the leader. That's part of my job description. But anyone can know these things."

"Nice meteorology lesson," Akira commented, appearing on the scene with Kensho for the umpteenth time. They simply couldn't tear away from their students and favorite customers!

"And where do you two get off magically appearing on the scene?" Yuri asked.

"It's as Dana said before: They're our guardian angels," Tabitha answered.

"Too much, really," Kensho said, "We wanted to give you our own input on the weather. Did you know that many have tried to control the weather for centuries and mostly failed?"

"No way!" Laurel exclaimed.

"Way," Akira added, "In fact, some people continue these practices today. They take chemicals and spray or drop 'em into clouds. Or, the wind releases them up from the ground. But we don't recommend you young ones take part yourselves. It's wrong to control nature."

"Understood," Dana put in, "Say, I heard that people used to tell time with the sun."

"We ancient folk know that better than anyone else, because our people practice it even now," Zenith responded.

"Well, it's been nice chatting with you," Kensho said, "We'll see you five later."

"Okay, bye!" Yuri called out. After the two left, the girls noticed something funny with the scene around them. More snow than usual piled up on what had already landed. It seemed Chicago was receiving a greater snowfall than it bargained for annually.

"Say, do the rest of you detect something odd?" Tabitha asked.

"Beats me," Dana answered, "This is my first winter here."

"I see what you mean," Zenith said, "I don't recall this much snow here. The news hasn't lied to me before, or they would've reported it."

"It's no surprise you watch the news alongside Pokémon," Yuri noted, "Maybe it's a meteorological bonus." Everyone else accepted this guess, but Zenith remained unsure. Several miles up in the sky, Needleroozer had a field day messing with precipitation and wind patterns. A tweak of his razor-sharp arms here and there produced massive snow above average which continued into the night. Zenith and her family ate a quiet supper at the table while at the same time watching the weather outside.

"What a buildup," Snapdragon commented, "It's snowing buckets out there."

"If we're fortunate, we might miss school tomorrow," Nadir added, "Do you think we'll hafta dig tunnels in order to find our way around?" Remaining silent the entire time, Zenith knew something was wrong. The nightly weather report later on proved it so; regardless of retaining ancestral ways, Snapdragon wasn't entirely vintage and oftentimes deferred to modern technology.

"Looks like our global satellite uplink missed this one," the weatherperson reported, "I predict a heavier snowfall by tomorrow morning than Chicago normally gets." Zenith's friends also watched the weather report, thereby puzzling their parents.

"Funny," Andrea commented, "I didn't think you liked the news, Laurel."

"Well, Mother, tonight I'm feeling different." The very suspicion that slightly aroused Zenith earlier grew in her friends. Yuri now realized how wrong she'd been. But there was no more time left in the 24-hour segment to do anything about it. Antics left the kids tired, and they fell straight to sleep without question.

Laurel was first in the group to wake up the next morning. As she went about her morning routine, she hadn't noticed a change despite looking out the window. Just when the young Kenyan finally sat down to breakfast, her parents came running into the dining room. "Laurel, sweetie!" Scott exclaimed, "C'mon! You gotta see this!"

"Can't it wait, Pa? I just got up."

"What if we told you school must be cancelled today?" Andrea offered.

Laurel sighed. "Oh, alright. But let's get this over with." The parents opened the door, greeted once again with a solid chunk of snow blocking the way. It refused to disperse through an open door. Laurel jolted and ran back into her room, realizing another great deal of importance. Opening the windows gave the same response. "What's goin' on around here?" But her growling stomach interrupted the ordeal, forcing her to return to the table for breakfast. Again, this whole thing would have to wait until later.

"Well, look at the bright side," Evan said, trying to reassure Winter and Yuri, "At least we can use all this lovely snow for extra water."

"Yes, but how will we go about melting it?" Winter asked, "All of a sudden, we've limited resources. The phone lines are down, and what heat this house does contain won't last long."

"Don't worry, I'll think of something." Yuri decided now was the time to take action.

"Mom? Dad? May I be excused?"

"Go right ahead," Winter permitted, and Yuri went straight to her bedroom. She opened up the window and stared the snow down. It may have blanketed the entire city, but it didn't prevent the cold air from rushing in.

"Talk about slightly defying physics...I think. Here goes." Once Yuri became Digiball, she stared again and thought. "Hmmm... Pyro Blaster!" Growlmon's attack left no more than a cloud of steam and no dent. Apparently, fire would have little or no effect on this snow. "Fooey. Maybe I should drill my way out. And I know just the one for the job!" Digiball grew Drimogemon's drills on her fingers and nose and drilled her way up to the surface. Surprise of surprises, it actually worked! The new surface created by the snow extended high enough to make the skyscraper tops look like quilt patches. The others gathered to speculate.

"Funny," Pokéskid commented, "I'm wearing short sleeves and a skirt, yet I'm not freezing my butt off."

"Must be the effects of our powers," Tenku suggested, "I got short sleeves too!"

"Where's Digiball?" Duel Dune asked.

"Look!" Captor Corporal pointed out. The surface broke with a drill bit, and out came a Drimogemon-turned Digiball.

"Funny," Tenku said, "I never heard of an otter with drills for a nose and toes."

In response, Digiball changed back to her original form without de-transforming into Yuri. "Its name is Drimogemon," she explained, "I know we unofficially swore it off after battling Terri, but it was the only way I could escape my own house."

"No fooling," Captor Corporal said, "The Fiery card hadn't any effect on this snow. I had to use the Dark card."

"Neither did Overheat or Fire Blast," Pokéskid put in, "I could only teleport here."

"Obelisk the Tormentor saved me," Duel Dune chimed, "Those Egyptian god monsters sure are something else!"

"And I used Instant Transmission," Tenku finished, "From what we've told each other already, fire won't help us in this situation. This cold could stop a volcano a second before eruption."

"Sometimes the only way out is up," Pokéskid said, "And if we had to go up to get out, then we must advance to solve the problem. In other words, Fly!" And so they all neared Needleroozer. But greater heights meant colder air as well as atmospheric pressure that made it harder to breathe. That malicious snowball on the scene made things still worse.

"Whoo-ee!" Captor Corporal declared, "I'm pretty much covered from head to toe, but the chills are still getting to me!"

"I hear ya!" Tenku agreed.

"We're almost there!" Duel Dune called out, "Look at that thing!" She pointed to a giant orb that spun furiously without end: Needleroozer.

"That's gotta be what's buried Chicago," Pokéskid said, "Let's take it out!" Needleroozer stopped spinning and faced the Cardz.

"What a funny face," Duel Dune said.

"The name's Needleroozer. Can you be helped?"

"Yeah," Tenku answered, "Take back all the snow you dropped on the city, then get lost."

"No dice. It's my snow, and I'll drop it wherever I want. Don't like it, tough luck."

"Then we'll make you get rid of it," Digiball threatened.

"If you want the snow gone, you'll hafta take me on first!"

"Sure, what's another battle more or less?" Tenku said, "We were about to wipe your face off anyway." The Cardz charged at the snowball and began the fight. But Needleroozer did little more than continue his constant spinning.

"Wall of Fire!" Duel Dune bombarded him with a gigantic mass of flames, which became reduced to icicles.

"Duel Dune, you'll have to rethink that," Pokéskid called out, "Tenku already pointed out that fire can't help us." The redheaded warrior smacked her forehead in embarrassment of her forgetfulness.

"Ice Storm!" Digiball unleashed another of MegaSeadramon's all-powerful attacks on Needleroozer, getting the others curious. Why ice? Could it really make a difference?

"Uh, what's the deal?" Captor Corporal asked.

"If it's ice he wants, it's ice he gets!"

"Oh, I get it!" Tenku figured, "Ice plus ice equals no ice!" Unfortunately, Digiball would have to recheck her math. Rather than neutralize, the attack only made Needleroozer stronger.

"Oh, yeah!" He tossed the Cardz about in a hurricane-like fury. After that, the group retreated again to rethink more.

"Yeesh!" Duel Dune said, "No matter what we throw at 'im, he just retaliates and throws it back at us!"

"Correct you are!" Needleroozer called, "As they say, whatever doesn't destroy me makes me stronger!"

"Destructo Disk!" But when Kuririn's special attack dispersed upon contact, the snowball pulled out his limbs.

"I'm tired of this game!" He swatted them back onto what terra firma remained. The Cardz got back up, instantly feeling a bit strange.

"Hey, any of you feel like at least half a million bucks like me?" Captor Corporal asked.

"I do!" Pokéskid said, "I feel stronger than I did when up in the sky!" She jolted at her own words; a plan was under way! "I got another plan, but we'll need to bring Needleroozer to us in order for it to work."

"Armored Glass!" Duel Dune took off the glass straightjacket appearing on her torso and gave it to Pokéskid. "Use this."

"Thanks. Lock-On!" Pokéskid took aim, holding the Armored Glass between her line of sight and the target. "Magnet Pull!" Magnetic waves through the glass magnified to thirty times normal size, and Needleroozer felt the girl's pull from up in the clouds. He tried his best to resist but hadn't friends to help out like Pokéskid. Captor Corporal gave her an extra boost with his Power card, and Tenku pitched in a pinch of her own energy as well. Needleroozer's legs were soon seen jutting through the clouds.

"You got 'im!" Duel Dune said. Needleroozer wouldn't give up, however, so Digiball did her part as well by grabbing onto his legs via SkullGreymon's hands and using Machinedramon's weight to bring him lower. Still, Tenku needed grab the lower torso and bulk up her muscles. With hefty teamwork, the wicked snowball came crashing down onto the new surface. Fortunately, the Cardz evaded the impact in seconds flat. He then stood up thrashing his limbs about.

"Now you twits have had it!" The Cardz zoomed about, evading the pine needle extensions and not knowing what to do next.

"He's lashing out too quickly!" Captor Corporal cried, "What now?" Tenku studied the situation until it hit her. Were those the building's windows she saw? Did the snow seem lower? Yes! She smirked in satisfaction and gathered a familiar ball of energy in her hands.

"Kamehameha!" She blew the evil mess of snow into several fragments, seemingly destroying him. The others then interrogated her.

"How'dja do it?" Digiball asked.

"Take a look for yourselves," she answered, pointing to the lowered snow. Nobody was more stunned than Pokéskid.

"Of course! The snow is connected to Needleroozer. He was strong while high up in the sky, and that made it strong. But since he's now down here, the snow is also weak. We miss these details too much."

"Yeah," Duel Dune agreed, "Now fire can help us!" Needleroozer came back for more after his several fragments reconnected.

"You've had it for sure!" But his enthusiasm died when he noticed the smirks on the Cardz' faces. "Uh, what're you smiling about?"

"Fire Blast!"

"Thunder card!"

"Dragon's Gunfire!"

"Nuclear Laser!" Now it was all up to Tenku to finish the rest of him.

"This is a little number I like to call Super Saiyan 2. !" Transforming into an Ascended Saiyan, the shockwaves permanently removed Needleroozer. Tenku looked down at the disappearing snow and pouted playfully. "Aw, no fair. I never even got to demonstrate what this level can do." Soon enough, the snow that engulfed Chicago vanished little by little. Everyone could go back outside continue the flow of work and play.

"Well, our job's done today," Pokéskid commented, "Let's get back home before anyone notices our absence." And off they flew.

As this all happened, Jenga and her comrades took their own gaze on the outskirts of Chicago. "Aw," a gangster complained, "Jenga, you were so close! How do those brats keep shooting ya down?"

"I wouldn't worry much," Jenga answered, "I never expected Needleroozer to actually defeat them anyhow."

"I don't understand," Big DD said, "Why not? And why keep sending those freaks to do your dirty work?"

Jenga faced her in what little amusement may or may not have existed in her eyes, human or mutant. "That is one of the mysteries. You will find out when **I** deem the moment right."

The End


	9. 13: Nibbling For Trouble

Wonders of the mysterious beyond come in all shapes and sizes. Certain ones mean a time of celebration or intrigued speculation. And then again, some aren't such pleasant surprises. A meteor came falling from the sky on this one night and looped above Chicago. Only a small piece of space junk just not strong enough to cause a planetary cataclysm meant no immediate need for panic. In fact, most people got out of their houses to populate 12th Street Beach and Meigs Field for a closer look. Plus, they'd already prepared for the cold air and the mixture of snow and sand they'd trudge through once temporarily settled down. "What a mess," Yuri commented, staring down at the snow/sand composition, "Oh well. It'll be back to normal in the spring."

"But there's no time to worry about it right now," Zenith said, "We got ourselves a meteor to catch in our sights!"

"And on film!" Tabitha added, holding up a camera. Along with everyone else, the kids walked around and waited patiently for the moment to come forth. Not a moment to soon!

"Hey, look!" someone called out, "It's here!" Everyone got into place and glanced upward. The meteor continued its fall without a soul in the audience missing the moment. Some even took pictures via flash photography. As a climax, it landed in the middle of Lake Michigan in a splash no larger than a tsunami. Everyone left the beach and headed home with nothing more left to do yet unable to stop talking about it.

"Ooh, I'm gonna remember this for the rest of my life!" Laurel declared.

"No fooling!" Dana agreed. However, not all left the sight and retired to bed that evening. After the people got their chance to view, the very spot of the meteorite was sealed off and reserved only for scientists and salvage experts. Lake Michigan saw the shipping lanes temporarily delayed to let the group work uninterrupted. Shame something as rare as space rock drew the attention of others besides them. What appeared to be a submarine, which was in fact Jenga in her bus mode, tagged alongside a study boats and followed it to shore at Navy Pier. A team transferred the meteorite from the boat to an armored car that promptly drove off afterwards. Jenga resurfaced from a boat launching sight and continued the silent chase, making a witness jolt.

"Wow. They got some fancy buses goin' around these days." The pursuit continued yet again all the way down Lake Shore Drive to the Museum of Science and Industry. With the vehicle still heavily guarded, the same group got out and transported the meteorite to the interior of the building. Jenga took refuge behind the museum and waited in secret, but the process took so long that she too fell asleep. The meteorite's size exaggerated its weight, making it difficult for the discoverers to carry it to its new location, but they managed in no time flat. Jenga would've slept the whole night through if hearing the armored car hadn't woken her up.

"Excellent. Now's my chance." Jenga sprouted her body and tentacles and extended one tentacle through the crack of an opened door. It slithered along the walls and floor, careful not to set off any alarms or pass through laser lights. Soon enough, the appendage reached the meteorite's holding case. Jenga used x-ray vision to shortly stare at the outlay. "Oh, why not." Her tentacle knocked the glass off of the case, tripping the alarm. She then grabbed the meteorite and drove off into the night without a trace.

The following day shocked everyone without question. An entire mass of reporters instinctively huddled at crime scene. "Everyone wants to know right now," one told the curator, "Who's responsible for this?"

"It's a mystery," the curator answered, "All I can guess is that they stole it for the same reason as anyone else: to become rich."

"And they never left any clues behind," an officer added. While the reporters and policed scoured around, everyone else went about their daily schedules. Only those at the public schools remained unaware of this crime. Ms. Nekron especially enjoyed herself the night before and incorporated this enthusiasm into schoolwork.

"Alright, class. Since the heated topic today is that meteorite we all caught the night before, that's what we'll write about. I want you to write a page of your experience on either area." She walked over to the television installed in the upper right corner of the room. "But for those of you who didn't catch it, they're replaying the scene on television in a few minutes. You can use that to your advantage." Ms. Nekron pushed the power button; before she could change to the right station, however, a special news report interrupted everything.

"This is Annapolis Hartford, reporting from the Museum of Science and Industry." As she spoke, the camera panned over to the meteorite's former position in the building. "What you see is where the space rock that fell last night once stood, only seconds before it got stolen. We reporters are assisting the police in a frantic search to recover it. But whoever made off with it left no trace behind. It's anyone's guess who's responsible. Annapolis Hartford, signing off." The report faded out and returned the station to its normal programming.

"Now, now," Ms. Nekron reassured, "We shouldn't let that get us down. I'm sure the meteorite will be returned. On to the replay." As she changed channels, a certain party of five discussed the situation in their own terms.

"It's pretty obvious that Jenga stole it, **I** say," Laurel said. But her friends provided counterexamples.

"True, but Jenga's not the only crook running around," Yuri reminded, "This city's full of them."

"Moreover, we're the only ones besides most likely the organized gangs who know of Jenga exists," Zenith added, "Anyone who saw our first battle with her has forgotten, and the last time she showed her face publicly was during Robosaurus' last visit. But no introductions."

"Whatever's up, we know Jenga definitely did not steal the meteorite to sell it for a profit," Dana put in, "'Nuff said."

"I know this isn't the right time, but the event's about to replay on TV," Tabitha spoke up. Once again, they must save it for later.

Out at an abandoned slum in W. Chicago, Jenga had the meteorite situated on a rickety old table. Speaking of Robosaurus, she took this opportunity to convene with Jada whom she hadn't seen since then. Jada considered this slum a home as well as a hideout, and this is where she'd stayed. "Radical rock," Jada commented, "Whatcha gonna do with it?"

"You're just human, so I'll break it down for you," Jenga explained, "I can see radiation emitting from specific objects. If I can combine that radiation with my gas, the results will be catastrophic for everyone else. But answer me this: What could it lead to?"

"Good question. Anyone who's read the label has a pretty good idea, if that rock were labeled."

"Break out a video camera. You're about to be the first person to witness scientific replication of otherworldly elements." Jada acknowledged and set up her camcorder to film the process. The monster then breathed onto the rock, producing tiny chain reactions within. The meteorite right away resembled a planet whose volcanoes constantly erupted, signifying planetary destruction. Jada made sure she missed not a millisecond of the moment. The promethium inside turned gelatinous and gushed out through pores in the rock. It then increased in viscosity and molded itself into a green-colored, irregular, four-legged mass. To top it off, a Pac-Man head with sharp teeth and an angry expression grew on the front. Rather than words, the newly formed creature spoke in grunts and growls.

"Perfect!" Jada declared, "I caught the whole thing on tape!" Since the yellow and green thing was just born, it only made sense her surroundings should perplexed her.

"I shall call her Rockskull," Jenga announced. In reply, Rockskull's eyes set sight on a metal box in the corner. She ran over to it and chewed it up. As Jada continued filming, Jenga walked over to the mutant newbie and gave instruction. "Excuse me, my pet. We need to talk." Rockskull stopped chewing and faced her creator. "Are you hungry?"

"Raarrgh!" she replied, as if to say yes.

"Why settle for worthless boxes when you can have more? Picture this: an all-day buffet where you eat what you can and can what you can't. And should anyone stand in your way, you lay them to waste."

"Eeerrrrrraagghhh!" Rockskull was pleased to hear those words, for she licked her chops and growled enthusiastically at the thought. Jenga bent down and stroked her creation.

"Then be a good girl for Mommy and go out into the city. Do what you wish once you get there." The quadruped grunted in salutation and ran out the door for her meal. That's when Jada stopped filming.

"Like I said, I got it all on tape. Couldn't've done it withoutcha. What say we split the moolah 50-50?"

But Jenga declined. "You can keep all the money for yourself." Jada jolted at that statement. Since when did the Chicago queen of crime decline an offer for big money? It didn't sound like the queen everyone else once knew, but that's because she wasn't.

"You're pullin' my leg. Passing up a good opportunity?"

"Money officially means nothing to me since I have superpowers. All I desire is to rule the world. But enough about that. What say we edit that tape of yours just to make sure?"

"That went by quickly," Tabitha commented at lunchtime. Only these five couldn't grasp the TV movie. A hard concept indeed, seeing as how their superhuman responsibilities mentally kept them at bay. In a way, the other kids had it good. Any more heroes running around would've created problems for the school. But they at least managed to write the paper their teacher assigned.

"Well, we can't forget that someone stole the rock," Laurel said, "I still say it was Jenga."

"Laurel, you're doing it again," Zenith scolded, "Jenga may have stolen it directly, indirectly, or someone brought it to her. It's possible."

"I missed you when you made mention of direct or indirect thievery," Yuri said, "Wouldja kindly translate it?"

"By all means. Direct larceny is when a crook steals something themselves. And when I said 'indirect', that meant Jenga could've stolen it from another crook or grabbed it without warning."

Something strange led Dana's eyes to an upper corner in the room. A television set had been installed up there not too long ago. "Say, when'd they install a TV in the lunchroom?"

Laurel gave the Hispanic boy a funny look. "Are you feeling okay? T hey installed it in the days succeeding the time we finished off Sewage Breath." Similar to when the Cardz tangled with Robosaurus, a new craze took Chicago. On one channel, the same movie shown in class earlier played for 24 hours, or that's at least what everyone hoped for. They received quite a surprise when another news report came on. And who should be the star but a rampaging Rockskull.

"Here we are on Riverside Historic District, reporting live. What you see here is a green mess bearing a yellow head analogous to a familiar video game character some of us have grown up on. Except this thing's eating more than just dots and ghosts." As everyone else in the lunchroom watched, only Zenith's group knew what to do.

"Typical," Yuri commented, "You can always count on Jenga to conjure something that doesn't look like much yet still packs a wallop."

"Then the meteor must wait," Zenith finished. So they ducked into a utility closet and repeated a familiar routine. Good thing other matters occupied even the janitors.

Back at the district, Rockskull continued to let her appetite do the talking on anything within the sight line of her jaw. If a cop pulled his or her trigger on the monster, she merely lashed her tongue out and ate the bullets and guns. The creature also enjoyed how dirty snow melted in her mouth like colored chocolate pellets. Rockskull soon received a tap on what she had for a shoulder one moment, turning around and facing Tenku the next. "Y'know, you really needa go on a diet." Rockskull responded by chomping onto the hero's hand. Tenku struggled to free it from those jaws. "Hey, let go! This ain't no passion fruit!" She got her hand free eventually and regrouped. Rockskull stared the Cardz down, growing more ravenous by the nanosecond. "Didja see that? She bit my wrist!"

"I know this isn't a time for jokes, but just hope she doesn't have rabies," Duel Dune said, concerned.

"No fooling," Digiball agreed.

"You're hungry, huh?" Captor Corporal asked.

"Eeeeerrrragghh!" Rockskull snarled.

"If you want to make us your biggest meal yet, you must battle us first," Pokéskid said. Rockskull naturally chased the Cardz nonstop even when they spread out in all directions. At one point, Captor Corporal used the Fight card in hopes of bringing the hungry monster down. But Rockskull took it as it came and chomped on one of his hands. The hero faced a similar déjà vu as his one companion.

"Let go! I really like that hand!" Remaining firm, Rockskull simply didn't know when to ease off. Digiball assisted Captor Corporal by flying straight down and ramming the monster hard.

"Vee Head Butt!" Rockskull flew so hard that she smashed the Coonley House upon impact. Digiball's eyes widened at the damage. "Uh oh! Does anyone realize what I've just done?"

"You wrecked the Coonley House," Tenku answered, "That can't be good."

"Indeed," Pokéskid agreed, "This fight's getting us no place. We keep smashing up Chicago like this, and we're no better than Jenga." Rockskull stood back up on her haunches and came charging at the Cardz, ready for more.

"Luring that thing out of the city wouldn't help," Duel Dune guessed, "Everybody'd still be in trouble. Good thing I came prepared."

"With what?" Captor Corporal asked.

"Dungeon Dice!" At Duel Dune's command, both the Cardz and Rockskull found themselves on a virtual playing field that also converted the six from organic tissue to pure data. Rockskull stopped momentarily to inspect her new surroundings. Having nothing else to eat, she pursued the Cardz without end. From the looks of things, rather than worry about her mistress, Rockskull focused solely on satisfying an insatiable hunger of the kind even superheroes might not stop.

"Voice card!"

"Uproar!"

"Death Beam!" Alas, it seemed nothing could satiate the hunger. Whatever the Cardz threw at Rockskull, she swallowed it bone and all regardless of form. If they tried flying up high, she jumped up several feet and nearly pinned them to the virtual ground. Nothing was going to stop her from eating the heroes!

"I got another idea!" Pokéskid announced, "Let's give her all we got! Shock Wave!"

"Giga Cannon!"

"Light card!" But this menace obviously knew that overloading an opponent was one of the oldest tricks in the book, for she also consumed even the largest blasts. Could nothing stop her?

"This thing's something else!" a struggling Tenku declared, "How do we win?"

"Mind Reader!" As the attack's name suggested, Pokéskid read Rockskull's mind. Then her eyes caught a funny-looking shape in Rockskull's back, which appeared as a dark brown silhouetted against the rest of the body. "Feed her!" The others faced their leader in stupor.

"I beg your pardon?" Digiball questioned.

Pokéskid temporarily removed her sunglasses and winked. "It's okay! Just feed her!"

"Coming up!" Duel Dune announced, "Diamond Sword Strike!" The creature gladly accepted Orgath's sword tossed at her uvula.

"Now!" Pokéskid commanded Captor Corporal, "While she's distracted!"

"I'm on it! Dark card! Freeze card!" Combining the powers of darkness and cold, he froze Rockskull in place. The sword struck right next to her upper left paw and disappeared. Pokéskid explained all as she regrouped with her teammates.

"So what's the buzz?" Tenku asked.

"Her name's Rockskull. You all remember the meteor we saw the night before that landed in Lake Michigan?"

"I know where this is going!" Digiball spoke up, "Rockskull was born from the meteorite, along with some of Jenga's power."

Pokéskid nodded. "Not only that, but the rock's inside Rockskull. That's why our attacks have no effect on her. If we can just get around her somehow, we can extract the meteorite and deprive her of energy."

"Didn't I tell ya Jenga was guilty?" Tenku said, "Anyways, I hate to face déjà vu myself, but leave it to me!" Suddenly, the Cardz found themselves narrowly dodging black ice shards. Rockskull broke free of her containment and came back for more. "Yoo-hoo!" Tenku stood several feet before the monster and coached her. "I'm all yours, tasty and tender! You better come and get me before I spoil!"

"Rrrraaaauuuuugghhhh!" Rockskull charged for her 'dinner' and chomped onto the hand just as she did before. This time, Tenku didn't struggle since her hand became that of Majin Boo so as to avoid infection or injury.

"Okay, friends! Do your stuff!"

"My pleasure!" Duel Dune called out, "Poseidon's Spear!" She landed a direct hit on the meteorite. "Score!" But being a bit on the egotistical side, Rockskull was too distracted with her bite to notice the pain. Duel Dune alone wouldn't extract the rock, so Captor Corporal and Pokéskid combined their efforts.

"Sword card!"

"String Shot!" Pokéskid's string wrapped around the handle of Captor Corporal's sword, and then he allowed her to swipe it. Then she performed the same toss as Duel Dune, and both extracted the meteorite. The Pac-headed monster felt weak as her toothy grip on Tenku released. The transformed Kenyan girl immediately took advantage of this.

"Dodon Ray!" The blast pierced Rockskull through the other end, making her flail uncontrollably. "Wanna do the honors, Digiball?"

"By all means! Electro Shocker!" Digiball unleashed Kabuterimon's main attack on the disoriented mass. Since Rockskull was too weak to do more, the blast destroyed her completely. The virtual field disappeared afterward, and the Cardz turned organic once again. Then they glanced around the district feeling sorry.

"So much for Rockskull," Pokéskid commented, "Now what'll we do about this mess?"

"Leave it to me!" Duel Dune volunteered, "Time Roulette!" The Time Wizard's wand appeared in hand in order for her to turn back time. Careful not to revive Rockskull, Duel Dune made the district and the Coonley House as it had been before. Only the meteorite remained afterwards, meaning no interviews for the police or news media.

"Aw, we missed 'em," a reporter complained.

"Well, on the bright side, at least we found the meteorite," a police officer assured. At those words, the reporters took pictures of the rock like crazy. Up came one more news report back at the school.

"Annapolis Hartford on the scene again," she spoke to the camera, "All is seemingly peaceful in Chicago today time over. You saw it here: Yet another vicious monster chewed up everything in sight until the Cardz took her down. Not to mention a recovered meteorite even though I'll do so nonetheless. If you ask me, I'd say that monster stole the rock." The five kids just giggled at her assumption.

"Imagine that," Laurel said, "Jenga creates Rockskull all by herself, and then Rockskull steals the meteorite. That's a good one."

"No fooling," Dana agreed, "If that happened, the police would've had their clues in no time flat."

"Yeah, nobody's as slippery-fingered as Jenga!" Yuri added, and the group laughed even more.

Back at Jada's hideout, while she added the remaining touches to her film, Jenga waxed sarcastic about other events. "Aw, how do like that. The Cardz killed yet another of my children."

Jada jolted and turned to face Jenga. "No way! That can't be!"

"It's of no consequence, Jada. I can always conjure up more trouble."

"Well, if you say so. Just one question: How come you never take 'em on yourself? You're pretty sporting."

"I have my reasons. Now what say we take your little movie to market?" Jada acknowledged this and gave the tape to Jenga. The mutated crime queen knew the black market as a beaver did its lodge. Tomorrow was another day for both good and evil alike.

The End


	10. 15: A Second Encounter

The year was coming to a close. Ever since Zenith, Yuri, Tabitha, Laurel, and Dana became the Cardz and Iris Sanford became Jenga, she did nothing more than send monsters out to do her dirty work. Of course, some schemes required that she associate with her gangster brethren. One would get the notion Jenga wasn't even trying anymore. Now where was the challenge in that? And what's more strange is the fact that Jenga never expected any of her creations to actually destroy the Cardz. Including other gangsters, no one knew why; she simply wouldn't tell! And speaking of which, the kids pondered the matter while eating lunch. "Think ol' Jenga's gonna get some sense into that big head of hers and fight us herself for once?" Laurel said.

"Small chance if she wants one of her dumb creations to do it for her," Yuri answered, "She's probably channeling all her power to its maximum while the monsters keep us busy."

"Either that, or she's studying our fighting techniques," Zenith added, "Maybe Jenga's training as well. Whatever the case, she's blotted out our abilities to track her down."

"I know this isn't the best time, but my brother Tikki and my sister Rembo are coming over for New Year's Day," Tabitha announced.

"Brother and sister, huh?" Dana said, "Funny. I always thought you were an only child."

"Dang, we've kept too much from you," Laurel said, "It's true. Tabitha has two older siblings, making her the youngest child in her family."

"They always come down every once in a while and give her extra cards," Zenith said, "Yeah, they also give some to the rest of us."

"But let's not forget the original subject," Yuri reminded, "When the New Year comes, let's hope Jenga decides to fight us herself. I wouldn't mind taking another crack at her." Such a statement sounded brave for this Russian since those words normally came from Laurel.

While the kids discussed Jenga's supposed cowardice and New Year's Day, the bus-headed mutant remained hiding in an abandoned apartment planning her next attack and creation. She'd finally tired of moving about constantly by now and so deemed it her new headquarters. A newly installed television projected the news at one end of the room. "Hmmm…" Jenga couldn't think of anything at the moment. At that same time, the broadcast on the television came from a desolate neighborhood on the West Side. Pretty much everyone knew this part of Chicago existed as one of its worst because of all the poverty and the lack of governmental help.

But one person promised to change it soon enough (so it seemed). "This is Nelly Parabola, reporting live from W. Chicago," the reporter announced, "As you can see, much of what you see right now has seen better days." A limousine happened by in the background, and the corporate owner stepped out for an interview. "And here's the man to fix it all." The camera panned over to the owner, and Nelly continued her story. "What's your name again?"

"Please, call me BL." That name broke Jenga's concentration, and she calmly walked over to the television to watch in a sarcastic manner. Anyone else would know how much she simply didn't like this guy if they stood by her. Being queen and all, Jenga had seen a huge number of tough thugs as well as really dumb ones.

"Oh, goody. The ever-incompetent BL."

"Well, BL, what're your for this neighborhood?" Nelly asked.

"I'm glad you asked. All my life, I've walked down these filthy streets and always wanted to do something about the mess. Therefore, I'm donating my fortune to fix up the place, maybe remodel a few places, and give these poor tenants new jobs."

Alas, only Jenga saw through BL's lies. "That's a good one! You don't have any money. Besides, you're probably gonna just drive 'em out and replace the houses and whatever with something else if you ever find a wrecking ball and get it to work."

"I envision gigantic stores, massive parking spaces, and a cinnamon bun stand smelled all the way from the next county," BL explained, "You can almost taste it!" But Jenga remained ever skeptical.

"You, remodeling a West Side neighborhood? You couldn't even fix up an old clubhouse!" A soundproof barrier Jenga installed not long back let her be as loud as she wanted. She turned off the TV, feeling inspired at last. "It's time I showed that louse how a real architect works."

Right before daybreak next morning, BL and his group of seven snuck into a construction site. The whole rich-man gig proved an act just as Jenga suspected. BL didn't have any money or the things it could buy; he'd stolen those things earlier for the purpose of fooling everybody. The group now stood vigil before a crane. "Okay, mugs, y'think you can get this thing to work?"

"They didn't leave the keys, boss," one said.

"That's why you got switchblades. Work 'em into the ignition and give it a test drive."

"How're you gonna pay for all this, boss?" another asked, "And why up so early?" BL stared at his accomplice quizzically. Jenga could compare this group to the Evil People according to the same mental density.

"Whaddaya mean 'pay'? We're crooks, we don't pay fer nothing. We're gonna steal this equipment, of course. And we're early because I wanted to beat the construction workers to their own stuff."

"And where are the plans for the gigantic stores and such?" a third asked. In response, rather than scorn or abuse, BL took out a planning sheet and spread it out on a nearby crate. But the sight of just one building puzzled the others.

"Well, you got the stores, parking, and cinnamon bun stand down pat," one noted, "But what about all the houses?"

"You dummies don't have a clue in the world. When I told the reporter all that junk, I threw in some lies. Since when do I wanna help weakling? I'm tearing down that neighborhood and replacing it with the largest mall that ever existed in Chicago."

"What about the people we're about to drive out?" the second asked.

"Who cares?" Suddenly, the first accomplice who spoke crashed the crane into a fence. The others reached him, and BL retained the same annoyance as before in his next sentence. "You idiot! What's the idea causing a ruckus?"

"Sorry, boss. The lever slipped on me."

"Pathetic! Why do I put up with you people anymore?"

"Maybe you're just lucky," one said, and all except BL laughed. But the laughter stopped when Jenga appeared.

"I consider it a curse."

"Jenga!" BL greeted, "What a surprise!"

"Yes, it is. A surprise that you can form big plans yet not enact 'em. Worst of all, you can't even operate a simple crane."

"It's not my fault," a member of BL's group pouted.

"Enough. I'd like to introduce you all to my crew." At that, Jenga spewed out several clouds that took on familiar shapes. A new group of Leatherheads stood born. Since they'd never seen these creatures before, BL and his associates stared in natural confusion and uncertainty.

"Uh, what're those?" one asked.

"They're my private army, the Leatherheads." Jenga then focused her attention mainly on BL. "And for my next trick, I'm about to create a greater corporate worker than you could ever hope to be." Out of her mouth came another cloud, taking on a different shape. This monster had an irregularly-shaped polyhedral body, three sharp fingers on both hands, no toes, a cubical head, feelers for ears, slit eyes, and five fangs protruding from the maxilla. He and the Leatherheads stared the anxious human group down angrily.

"Yeesh, whaddaya call that thing?" BL asked.

"His name is Dashahedron," Jenga continued, "I'll leave him to finish you off and do what he wishes with the neighborhood." In her departure, Dashahedron and the Leatherheads each grabbed a crook by the necks of their shirts and held them up close.

"Wait a second," the seventh stammered, "We're all on the same side, right? Can't we all rap about this and be friends?"

"A futile request," Dashahedron said, "We have no friends. But for the time being, we'll spare your lives for humiliation."

The crooks eyed each other. "Well, that's not so bad," one said, "I can deal with that."

"Me too," another agreed.

"Now, what time did you plan on carrying out your little scam?" Dashahedron asked BL.

"Uh, I believe 5:29 this afternoon."

Daybreak came with little fuss. Dashahedron and the Leatherhead squadron Jenga prepared for him hadn't struck just yet. The kids enjoyed their days off when school let out for the next two weeks on account of New Year's Day coming up. Rather than play in the snow, the group thought they'd walk along until they could think of something to do besides laze around and watch TV and the like. Also, the fact that BL said on the news that he'd fix up a West Side neighborhood didn't escape their attention. "I wonder where they're gonna let all those people stay while they repair and remodel?" Tabitha commented.

"No fooling," Dana agreed, "If there are any hotels or whatever around, those places'll be packed." Zenith didn't share the same confidence in what BL said, and Laurel noticed her remoteness first.

"Hey, Zenith. What's got you uptight all of a sudden?" Fortunately, the Shawnee girl wasn't too distant to respond.

"If you must know, I have my doubts about that announcement. I don't trust that adult for one second."

"How come?" Yuri asked.

"With help from both my mom and our karate teachers, I can sense a person's true colors. I saw the spurious look in Mr. BL's eyes."

"You must see a lot, huh?" Tabitha said.

"And you say that because none of you can do the same. I know a liar when I see one. If I had a copy of that news report, I'd show you."

"Maybe you can," Yuri piped up, "Follow me." She led her friends back to her house and into the living room. Upon the group's entrance, Yuri broke out a tape and put it in the VCR.

"Where'dja get this?" Dana asked.

"My parents recorded it. Knowing them, every major event that occurs in any part of the city belongs in their movie collection." The others stared at the collection in awe until yesterday's report drew them back. As BL and Nelly conversed, Zenith kept her eyes fixed on the fake millionaire. Yet her friends still couldn't spot anything wrong.

"I hate to say this, but I'm just not seeing it," Laurel said.

"That's because you're not focusing. Clear your minds and concentrate." But the report ended before they lifted even one brain cell.

"**I** didn't see anything wrong with BL," Dana said.

"You never relaxed and concentrated." Zenith pulled out her Ho-Oh card and prepared to leave. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not letting that corporate fool drive those people out of house and home." Yuri held her back.

"Wait a second. You can't go fighting crime on an empty stomach. How about some lunch first?" Hesitant at first, Zenith complied and sat down at the table for a meal of beef stroganoff. However, uneasiness made it hard for her to enjoy or even eat her food.

"Relax," Tabitha said.

"There's no telling when that jerk will strike," Zenith explained, "I must go down to that neighborhood as soon as possible."

"And I thought **I** was too headstrong," Laurel commented, "You're rushing into things. Don't worry, they're not goin' anywhere."

"Yeah," Dana added, "The construction doesn't even start until 5:29."

So Zenith took their words for it and relaxed a bit. "Alright, then. But when the clock strikes that minute, I'm there." Though, the kids never rushed to the scene just yet when that time came. Beating them to the punch, the newscast headed straight for the neighborhood and set everything up, wanting to make sure neither they nor anyone else missed the moment. "Why are we stalling? We could be preventing a major catalyst of homelessness for those people."

"Let's face it: We don't have any proof that this BL character is whom you think he is," Yuri explained, "Let's wait and see first how things play out." Ever hesitant, the Native American leader complied.

"Hello again!" Nelly reported, "Here we are, back on the scene and waiting for the biggest construction event in Chicago since the Sears Tower. The only thing missing at the moment is the man responsible for the whole thing." In the shadows, Dashahedron watched this and thought it best to act immediately.

"Okay, soldiers. That's our cue." When the monsters stepped onto the scene, the camera quickly panned in their direction. Dashahedron held up BL for all to see without too big reaction. That part would come the minute the bad creatures actually started the ruckus.

"That's BL and his crew, alright," Nelly continued, "But they've been captured by some weird creatures."

"Leatherheads?" Dana wondered, "Go figure. Well, now's our cue."

"Wait a second," Laurel said, "Call me crazy, but I think they wanna tell us something important."

"Hello!" BL greeted nervously, "Nice day, isn't it?"

"Oh, quit wasting your breath," Dashahedron said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe this nice young man has a confession to make."

"That's preposterous! Who you gonna believe, some freak or an honest face like mine?"

"Sometimes things aren't what they seem," Dashahedron continued, and a tape recorder appeared in his other hand. "Every word on this tape is as true as it sounds despite what my hostage here says." Pushed the button played back everything BL said the night before. Everyone listened in horror to his deceptive plan, how he lied to the reporters and planned on driving people out of their homes.

"Uh, did **I** say that?" The nervousness on BL's face simply couldn't and wouldn't escape everyone else. The neighborhood's unforgiving inhabitants glared. "Those are lies in themselves! These freaks of nature rigged it all up! They obviously made me say all that!"

"No, boss, you did say that," one of his associates reminded, and BL glared at them.

"Who's side are you on?" BL's lies couldn't save him this time, and the truth remained undoubted. Evan and Winter joined the kids earlier to record this broadcast. The five ran outside to discuss it without spilling their secret.

"Still don't believe me?" Zenith questioned.

"Never mind the small talk," Tabitha said, "We got houses full of people to save!"

As the group rushed towards the desolate neighborhood, Dashahedron and the Leatherheads tossed the crooks aside and continued on. "Now that that weakling is no more, I'm taking over his dirty deed!" the head monster announced, "Leatherheads, let's tear up this place!" The monsters then got to work driving people out of their homes and creating an even bigger mess than before. When the Cardz arrived in the nick of time to alleviate things a bit, they stood a better chance against the Leatherheads this time. What once felt like a wall of cement now imitated nothing more than hardened cotton. For the first time in their unnatural lives, the Leatherheads fell in a snap.

"So much for those appetizers," Digiball commented, "Where's the main course?"

"Right here!" Dashahedron appeared before the heroes. "And another thing: You may call me Dashahedron!"

"Whatever," Tenku said, "In any case, we're still blowing you sky-high."

"You'll hafta catch me first!" The monster then sped off and ran in all directions.

"Keep your eyes peeled!" Pokéskid commanded, "He could stop at any given point at any given time!"

"There!" Captor Corporal pointed out, "Watery card!" Upon assault, Dashahedron's feelers tingled to the wind around, and he dodged the water. "Dang, he's quick!"

"Then we're gonna hafta be quicker!" Duel Dune stated. The Cardz harnessed the speed of their quickest helpers and played Dashahedron at his own game, or so they thought. No matter how quick the Cardz moved, the monster seemed quicker. And any time they thought they hit him, it was only a projection image.

"This is seriously getting us nowhere!" Tenku said, "It's the exact same training Goku experienced in Dragonball!"

"Now what?" Digiball asked.

Dashahedron was quick, but his feelers didn't go unnoticed by Pokéskid. "I got it! Team, do as I told you before and clear your minds!"

"Uh, it's plain to see how lowly this guy really is," Captor Corporal said, "All of Jenga's minions are like this."

"Just do it!" The others shrugged but followed along anyway. There the Cardz stood, completely devoid of pretty much anything and everything. Dashahedron continued zooming around until he finally gained patience to look. He walked up to them and stared, confused.

"What's the matter with you?" But no answer came. "Huh. Get your tongues chopped off?" With no responses, Dashahedron became uneasy. "What's the matter, wimps? Why don't you just suck it up and fight?" The minute the Cardz slowly faced him, he instantly zoomed away. They never bothered following and instead continued to stare forward. He then came back in plain sight even more confused. "Argh! I'm tired of fooling around! Ready or not, you're dead!" Dashahedron ended up swiped at still-standing projection images. His feelers tingled again, and he swiped at an oncoming Tenku. Another illusion. Dashahedron could take no more. "That does it! No more tricks! Come out and fight!"

"All you had to do was ask!" Digiball shot out abruptly, "Nightmare Syndrome!" Dashahedron got his wish,as a wave of shadowy energy knocked him squarely on the jaw. The Cardz came into plain view and matched the messed-up creature blow for blow, now standing as good a chance as they did against the Leatherheads.

"Looks like you're not so tough without your speed!" Duel Dune retorted.

"I don't need speed to defeat the likes of you brats! I'm doing just fine!" No one agreed about his last word, however.

In the shadows, Jenga watched the fight patiently. "Those brats are good. But we'll see how good when my turn comes up." And back in the fight, Dashahedron decided to finish the job once and for all by combining speed alongside the proper fighting style. However, Captor Corporal and Duel Dune never allowed him the chance. They grabbed his feelers and held firmly.

"Let me go, you two-timing roundworms!"

"Look who's talking," Captor Corporal retorted.

"Quick, do something!" Duel Dune called out to their teammates, "We can't hold him forever!"

"Triangulate your positions, girls!" Pokéskid commanded to Digiball and Tenku. The three chose their positions and opened fire upon the helpless Dashahedron, reduced to nothing more than a pile of dust in a flash. The Cardz then regrouped as the people around cheered.

"You saw it here, folks!" Nelly reported again, "For the umpteenth time, the Cardz have saved the day!"

"Well, our job's done here," Digiball said, "Let's go home." But the cheers and would-be trip ceased when the shadows sprouted five tentacles, each of which grabbed a hero and held them in the air. Jenga finally decided to show her face to the Cardz once more and explain all to the public for the first time. Just as Dashahedron got his wish for a better fight, the Cardz received theirs to face the big mommy of them all.

"What's the deal?" Captor Corporal wondered.

"I recognize these tentacles," Pokéskid noted, "Looks like Jenga's finally up for a second round!" In response, the tentacles slammed them down on the pavement and retracted.

"Whew!" Tenku declared as they got back up, "What a rush!" Jenga then walked onto the scene and bravely revealed herself. It wasn't the first time they'd caught formal sight of her, seeing as how she already appeared once in Robosaurus' show. But it certainly felt that way since she decided to introduce herself this time. Few people still kept that particular memory alive.

"Hey, that's the same monster that fought Robosaurus!" someone called out.

"We have a surprise, folks," Nelly continued, "Robosaurus' opponent has returned, and it seems to have a lust for battle. Whoever keeps unleashing these hideous creations has a serious grudge on Chicago itself if you ask me."

"Well, nobody asked you," Jenga said, "Just call me Jenga. If you must know, I used to be Iris Sanford until those gases mutated me into something more. I'm the one responsible for the greater assaults on this city. For example, I turned Dashahedron and those Leatherheads loose in this very location." Gasps came from all around.

"Leatherheads?" another person called, "You mean those black things that tried throwing us out onto the streets?" As Jenga nodded in reply, the reporters knew darn well that this report was a gold mine if they ever did see one.

"You heard it here! The infamous Iris Sanford stands before us in this forsaken neighborhood. Plus, she no longer goes by that name."

Jenga turned her attention towards the Cardz. "Talk is officially cheap. It doesn't take a mind-reader to figure out how much you spoiled brats have wanted to experience my increased power."

"Whatever floats your boat," Digiball shrugged as the day's third struggle began. The Cardz punched Jenga in the head and body, not even making her flinch. She felt hard, but not as hard as before. Jenga slapped the heroes away for the purpose of retracting her tentacles and drilling into the ground. When she came back up, the Cardz couldn't escape her ambushed.

"That's enough!" Pokéskid decided, "Hyper Beam!" Déjà vu came into play as Jenga absorbed the blast a second time with her diamond body and threw it back at them in a straight blast instead of a shower. However, Tenku saw this and played Jenga at her own game. The two of them hit the blast at each other at least six times, but Tenku won in the end when she hit the blast a trillion times harder Jenga's way, blowing her out of the air. Both sides then exchanged physical blows for several more minutes before catching their breath.

"Very good, Cardz. You've improved dramatically over the past months."

"Yeah, you're not so bad yourself," Duel Dune agreed, "Wanna go all the way?"

"That won't be necessary. Consider this your second warning." A smokescreen hindered everyone's sight, but the Cardz wouldn't forfeit.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Tenku said in the search. When the smoke cleared, however, Jenga had again disappeared without a trace. Everyone else stared the Cardz, perplexed.

"So much for Jenga," Pokéskid commented, "Well, our job's done here. Let's go home."

It turns out Jenga went no further than a few blocks away from the neighborhood. Since nobody even saw her in plain view, they couldn't notice hints of huffing and puffing as she thought the situation over. "This is perfect. The Cardz felt no different than the last time we rumbled. I'm getting better as I go along." Satisfied with the fight, Jenga set off to come up with another monster.

Back on Polk St., the kids discussed the previous matter themselves. "Whatever Jenga's got planning, we can wait no longer," Yuri announced, "We gotta track her down!"

"No can do," Zenith argued, "I've tried the best I can, but Jenga's probably put up a shield or something to block out my superior vision. Not only that, but she's also scrambled all our internal radars. I already told you we can't track her down no matter what."

"Go figure," Tabitha commented.

The End


	11. 16: Sibling Friendship

Everyone in town crossed the days off their calendars. Tomorrow was that one special time known only as New Year's Day. But none got more excited than the Rebaos as the older offspring always made judicious returns to the 'nest'. However, not everyone concentrated on the holiday. The same kids who transformed into the Cardz recently got their wish when Jenga gained enough guts to battle them herself. Getting stronger during the past few months made her pretty confident. But while the others discussed this after lunch, Tabitha fantasized while staring at her Y-Dragon Head card. "Whadda we do the next time Jenga shows up?" Dana asked.

"I doubt she'll want two in a row," Zenith guessed, "Or is it three? I don't know anymore."

"We've all formulated good theories as to why she doesn't fight her own battles very often," Laurel added, "Yet we can't agree on which one stands out most. What's our deal?"

"Good question," Yuri said, "Hey, Tabitha, what've you got to say about this?" They eyed their distracted friend. "Hello. Earth to Tabitha."

"Can't speak for any theory myself," Tabitha responded, having listened the whole time.

"While you're at it, why do you keep staring at that card?" Laurel chimed.

"Don't you remember?" Zenith reminded, "That's the bond she shares with her older siblings."

"I'm still new here," Dana said, "What bond?"

"Before Tabitha's brother Tikki went off to college, they and Rembo took out particular cards they received early and put them together in that same hand pile a group makes to boost their confidence in a game or fight," Yuri explained, "Rembo followed a year later. Every time they both come down, all three always practice that motion."

"Y-Dragon Head was my top favorite before I got the Five-Headed Dragon," Tabitha added, "It's second place now, but that's okay. Rembo preferred Z-Metal Tank, and Tikki specialized with X-Head Cannon. Even if only one comes down for a visit, we still practice the shake. After all, these three monsters have four fusions instead of just one."

"Did they used to be great customers like us for Akira and Kensho?" Dana suggested.

"For a while," Laurel responded, "But they prefer using their money to shop online nowadays. These two are the greatest card players I've ever seen in my life, I tell you. They've countless victories in different card game leagues."

"That they do," Zenith agreed, "In fact, they can't even beat each other no matter how many times they play."

"And we still can't find anyone to succeed us," came a feminine voice from behind. The group turned around and found themselves face to face with Tabitha's older siblings. Tikki had a brush cut of orange hair, and he wore a light-blue jacket, brown pants, and gray snow boots. Clad in a black jacket, long purple skirt, and dark-blue snow boots, Rembo had yellowish hair tied in a ponytail just like Zenith but without the eartails. Tabitha gave her siblings a welcome hug.

"Long time, no see," Tikki greeted, "As usual."

"So, how's our cute little sister coming along?" Rembo complimented.

"As well as can be, I suppose," Tabitha answered.

After the two siblings shook hands with the others, Dana's presence instigated curiosity. "Oh, who's the new face?" Tikki asked.

"I'm Dana."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dana. Sorry we haven't any cards to give this time."

"That's quite alright," Laurel said, "We won't need extras for the time being."

Jenga wasn't excited about the New Year, either. Sending out a monster and tangling with the Cardz herself all in one outing especially left her drained. Zenith couldn't have been more correct: The villain did put up a jamming shield to not only keep others outside from hearing her outbursts but also prevent the heroes from finding her too soon. As the hours passed, Jenga channel-surfed as a means of inspiration. "A triangle is a three-sided polygon," came a child's voice from a learning show, "Note the three corners and three sides."

"Pathetic," Jenga commented, changing the channel. The next program focused on ancient history.

"Egyptians usually built pyramids with three or four sides," the narrator explained, "Most of these magnificent structures displayed triangular sides." Then for no reason at all, Jenga went into high-gear and changed the channels abruptly without end.

"Yeesh! Isn't there anything to watch that doesn't involve triangles?" Her final choice in channel matched the request. A gymnast explained fundamentals behind exercising and working out, never bothering to mention triangles or any type of triad.

"And remember: Always be sure to take an extended recess between periods of exercise to rest your muscles and provide for a better workout and a healthier body."

Jenga turned off the television while her creative juices flowed once more, between exercise and triangles. "That's it!" She produced enough gas clouds to fill almost the whole room with Leatherheads. The next three exhibited unique glows of red, blue, and yellow before forming into faceless, genderless, voiceless figures resembling the basic human build. "Now, where to go from here…"

At the Rebao residence, Rembo and Tikki received the same warm welcome they always expected from a visit. "How go your studies, young man?" Ashton casually asked his son.

"Oh, please," Rembo answered playfully, "Not that again."

"I'll take that as an A-OK," Triolo decided, smiling.

"Find any successors to your card games?" Chelsea asked.

"Not yet," Tikki answered, "But if we hope hard, we'll make great card players out of Tabitha and her friends yet. Provided they want to, that is." Tabitha just stared at the floor, a tad shy. Her brother and sister certainly had a way with words! Once inside her bedroom, the three siblings compared each other's decks. Tabitha of course specialized in story dragons. Tikki enjoyed prehistoric animals, hence his dinosaur deck. Rembo's deck contained no them since she crammed it with whatever monster came to her liking. But all three of them had XYZ-Dragon Cannon, the three monsters required to form it, and the other three fusions.

"You know, we forgot something," Rembo reminded. The siblings held their favorite monsters from the fusion in a little pile.

"1, 2, 3, go!" they chanted, lifting the cards high up in a circle.

Tabitha then displayed the Five-Headed Dragon she received at the convention. "This is my favorite monster in my entire deck."

"Nice," Tikki complimented, "But we thought Y-Dragon Head was your favorite."

"It is, next to this one. I got it at an anime convention held at Buckingham Memorial a few days before school started."

"Nifty," Rembo added, "Too bad we missed it. I hope you escaped that pollution mist that covered Chicago prior to the convention." Tabitha felt the surprise deep down inside but kept quiet.

"Not that I'm trying to nose around in others' business, but you were there when it happened," Tikki said, "News reports are pretty inaccurate if you ask me. Could you tell us what really happened?" What occurred next saved the preteen the trouble.

"Tabitha!" Triolo called, "Phone call for you!"

"Coming!" Tabitha ran into the kitchen and accepted the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, girl. It's me, Laurel. You better ditch the kin and hurry downtown. Jenga's up to her old tricks again."

"Alright. I'm on my way." She hung up and leisurely walked outside but cursed curiosity as her siblings stopped her.

"Where's the fire?" Rembo asked.

"Laurel needs my help on something. I can't explain it right now." As she ran off, the two older looked confused.

"Weird," Tikki commented.

Tabitha regrouped with her friends after much running. On top of that, they also found yet another suitable hiding place to discuss the situation and transform into their alter egos. "What's up?" Yuri wondered.

"Laurel and I received phone calls from Kensho and Akira," Zenith explained, "Groups of Leatherheads are all over the city. And as usual, it's up to us to take 'em down." Across the city, Leatherheads took advantage of the quicker-than-normal bustle and trashed everything in sight without following any plan of attack (some also figured they weren't following any true orders whatsoever). Street signs were bent; glass got smashed; and people scrambled all over to get to safety. But it changed once the Cardz appeared for the purpose of adding another one for the books. They had to split up in order to take out the various groups.

"You bullies just can't take a hint, can ya?" Tenku retorted. This fight lasted four hours to the most despite the Cardz' best efforts. Even though Jenga did nothing more that day, the Leatherheads swarmed like rabbits. Everyone including Tikki and Rembo watched it on TV.

"Those Cardz are something else, huh?" Chelsea commented.

"Yeah, they are," Rembo agreed, though she and Tikki weren't much for words. Although they couldn't place it, they felt a strange sensation about the Cardz. A closer look at the heroes' faces unveiled a sense of familiarity. Did these two meet them someplace? When the four hours ended, the Cardz gathered in a circle up high and caught their breath as afternoon became evening.

"Yeesh," Captor Coporal puffed, "Talk about a hassle. How're we gonna explain this to our families?"

"Good question," Digiball commented, "We're in for it for sure."

"Maybe not," Tenku piped up, "My parents requested me to go retrieve available spare parts while I'm out. They never even bothered asking of my true intentions. Maybe the rest o' you could 'help out' a bit."

"By all means," Pokéskid decided. The quintet flew into the closest and most narrow alley and out of public sight where they could revert without fear of snoops. Then came the aforementioned search.

This trick actually worked. Even the major reaction from Yuri's parents constituted mainly to her messy look. When Tabitha returned home, her siblings greeted her first. "Well, you're such a mess," Rembo commented, "So how'd things go with your friend?"

"Laurel needed help finding spare machine parts," Tabitha explained, "Her parents are mechanics after all."

"You and your friends are certainly the bravest kids Chicago's ever seen," Triolo said, "How many kids have we seen venture out this late caring less? And during an emergency, too."

"Too bad you left," Chelsea added, "You missed the tube's action again. But I guess it didn't matter since you were beside the real thing."

Tabitha smiled and went along with her aunt's words. "Yeah, something like that."

"You go on and wash up," Tikki said, "Looks like you had quite an adventure." Tabitha quickly ran to the bathroom and did just that. Tikki and Rembo exchanged funny looks but remained silent as if they knew everything. After their sister exited the shower, she wasted not a millisecond and headed straight to bed where she passed out in complete comfort.

"Wow," Ashton commented, noticing his daughter sleeping early, "She sure was drained."

Jenga wouldn't let anyone regain strength so soon but chose to stall for time so as to open the New Year with a wave of complete destruction. Needless to say, the kids needed more recuperation time than what they got to regain full vigor. Come 11:00 PM, city repairs came to a close as Jenga's color figures revived the ruckus. They flew about like fireballs and blasted destructive energies from their fingertips. Only the five felt this malady's rumblings. Being the first to wake up, Yuri called Zenith. "I haven't the energy to start a new fight."

"Nevertheless, we must shake it off. We are the heroes here. I'll call the others." At the Rebao residence, since Tikki was the first to answer, the Native American quickly made up an excuse. "I need Tabitha's help on a school project." Detecting the urgency in Zenith's voice, he obviously knew better than that but played along anyhow.

"Right. You go on ahead, and we'll let her know." That done, Rembo followed that command and ran to Tabitha's room to report.

"You've another request from your friends again."

"I'm on it." Tabitha ran out the door without looking back. The news kept the adults ever distracted whereas Rembo and Tikki felt even more convinced of unknown suspicions. They nodded and ran out the door as well, attracting the adults' intrigue no more than their sister.

As the Cardz arrived downtown, all five stared blankly at the scene. They simply hadn't enough energy to fight a second time that evening. "Let's get this over with," Captor Corporal groaned, "I wanna get back to sleep."

"I guess staying up till midnight is officially out of the question this year," Tenku commented. As the fight came on, the Cardz unwittingly made it a repeat of earlier. Fatigue rather than lack of experience allowed the figures to whip them like nothing. So while the quintet appeared ready to pass out before long, the opposition hardly broke a sweat.

"Who are you?" Duel Dune asked, groggily. The figures couldn't respond since Jenga never named them and continued staring ahead.

"Judging by looks, I guess we could call 'em Crayoniacs," Digiball decided. The triad nodded to each other as if accepting the new title.

"Jenga forgot to name them," Pokéskid noted, "Looks like the title you gave is unanimous." After that, the Crayoniacs continued their onslaught. It came as a wonder the Cardz should hold ground a second time. "Lock-On! Hidden Power!"

"Masenko!" The Crayoniacs got knocked to the ground, and the Cardz regrouped again and held on to each other for physical support.

"Let's finish them off already," Digiball requested, "I can't take much more of this." But their yawning and stretching gave the Crayoniacs ample opportunity to rise up from the impact sight. Once high enough, they distorted in form and intermingled into something resembling a licorice stick. The heroes finished refreshing just in time to observe this.

"Uh oh," Captor Corporal said, "They're combining." A gargantuan white Crayoniac stood on the scene. Jenga unquestionably had the heroes right where she wanted them, for they lacked energy to even be interested in the fight.

"Um, what do we call you now?" Duel Dune asked. In response, words burned themselves onto the gestalt's torso for everyone to read.

"Absolute Crayoniac?" Tenku wondered. That done, the Absolute Crayoniac literally smacked the Cardz down for the count. Pokéskid flew into no particular office building, her shades ironically remaining in tact. Anyone inside observed but never dared to unveil her identity. Digiball, Tenku, and Captor Corporal landed on the sidewalk with no one around to give them a second look. As for Duel Dune, she zoomed straight back onto Polk St., crashing on the lawn of the same house AW used as a hideout (nobody bothered moving in after her arrest) and de-transformed back into Tabitha. She lay still on the ground, unable to get back up until some helping hands appeared.

"Thanks," Tabitha said, dusting herself off. But her heart sank when she realized the helpers. "Rembo? Tikki? What're you doing here?" She jolted at the next important detail. "Did you two see what just happened to me?"

"Our suspicions have been confirmed," Tikki decided, "You and your friends are the Cardz."

"Great. Our secret's exposed."

"Eh, we had a good idea before we saw you crash," Rembo said, "How else to explain that you always hurry off during an emergency?"

"And for that matter, why are you doing this? These matters belong to people like the FBI. Don't you realize how young you are?"

"My friends and I are the only ones able to take out Jenga's monsters. The government must've been watching old monster movies and such, because I guess they finally understood their failure." Tabitha explained her entire story in superb detail. Starting with the incident at the anime convention all the way up to Dashahedron's stage debut, the siblings learned all there was about the Cardz. "Right now, despite that we're too tired to continue, it's our responsibility to take out monsters and sometimes the occasional criminals."

"Dang, that's harsh," Rembo sympathized, "You desperately need rest. Who'd wanna tire sweet kids like you and your friends?"

"Mutant bullies, that's who," Tikki answered, "I wish there were a way for Rembo and I to help you out." As if it heard him, Tabitha's Five-Headed Dragon card floated above all three siblings and flashed upon them. Tabitha became Duel Dune again while the other two glowed in a rainbow aura. "Wow, what's the deal?"

Duel Dune listened hard. "Call me crazy, but I'd say Five-Headed Dragon is calling out to me."

"I know what's going on!" Rembo suggested, "It heard Tikki's wish, and now we can help you fight that monster."

"And **I **know where to start," Tikki continued, "I've seen this trick done in several shows and movies. Rembo, let's give our sister some of our own vigor." In no time flat, Duel Dune felt like a million bucks. Rembo and Tikki didn't care that it felt like they'd jogged a mile.

"Wow, I'm fresh as a daisy again! But I don't get it. Don't you two need that energy?"

"Thanks for your concern, sis," Tikki assured, "But we'll be fine."

"Yep. We're nearly adults, but you're still just a kid. Even with superpowers, your body can't manufacture vigor as quickly as ours yet."

"If you say so." Next, three specific cards floated from their pockets: X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank.

"Hey, our favorite cards!" Rembo said, "The same ones we use for that handshake." The siblings then smirked.

"Ooh, I know where this is going!" Tikki said.

"Then let's give that Absolute Crayoniac a piece of our minds." The sibling triad glowed respective colors of indigo, tan, and cinnabar.

Back in town, the criminal gestalt continued its rampage on Chicago. Pokéskid decided she could fight and rest at the same time. "Rest!" The Dewgong-based nap restored her to full health though she must skip two turns in a row. Sleep-based attacks - namely Snore and Sleep Talk – alleviated the problem and stunned the monster quite a bit although the struggle persisted. Absolute Crayoniac smacked her down a second time, onto the sidewalk. She ended up near the same spot as Captor Corporal, Digiball and Tenku. And Tenku realized how to heal.

"Senzu Beans!" A small bag appeared in her hand from which she withdrew a bean for consumption. Tenku shared the beans with the rest of her teammates. "Here, take this. It'll make you fresh again."

"Too tired," Digiball huffed. Tenku held her and Captor Corporal's mouths open and fed them herself. She never noticed Pokéskid until the last minute, but the four stood strong once again. Not a sign of fatigue was found.

"Thanks, Tenku," Captor Corporal said.

"Hold everything," Pokéskid reminded, "Duel Dune's still out of the fight. We must get her restored to full health as well."

"Leave it to me!" Tenku announced until Absolute Crayoniac blasted the bag of Senzu Beans to dust. The heroes gazed at this development in shock and glared at the unconscientious monster.

"You lamebrain!" Digiball shot out, "Why, I oughta…!" But what happened next saved her the trouble of taking out Absolute Crayoniac herself. A robotic semi-soldier with cannons on its shoulders, a small mechanical dragon, and a tank bombarded the featureless giant, who missed swatting them each time. These machines were none other than Duel Dune and her older siblings transformed into the components for XYZ-Dragon Cannon. The other, clueless Cardz saw this as a good sign.

"Well, well!" Captor Corporal declared, "Duel Dune's back in the game!"

"Couldn't've said it better myself," Tenku agreed, "That eliminates the need for Senzu Beans or anything else, I suppose."

"Indeed," Pokéskid said, "Let's join our friend in battle!" The tides had at last turned against Absolute Crayoniac. Its attackers showed what they were really made of when at full health.

"Thunder card!"

"Tail Hammer!" Absolute Crayoniac soon decided that de-fusing back into its basic components would mean a better advantage against the heroes. The other Cardz, figuring that Duel Dune must've somehow cloned herself, gave the Rebao kin a chance against the Crayoniacs. X-Head Cannon wouldn't let the blue one move around much, Y-Dragon Head stuck to the red one like glue, and Z-Metal Tank pummeled the yellow without end. The separate fights grew intense as both triads got sucked up into a tornado of their own making, agitating the others.

"Uh oh," Captor Corporal commented, "If this keeps up, they'll tear the place apart before one side emerges victorious." At several points, two fusions from both sides duked it out. To start off, a purple Crayoniac clashed with XY-Dragon Cannon while Z-Metal Tank and the yellow remained concentrated on each other back inside the tornado. This event preceded YZ-Tank Dragon taking on an orange Crayoniac. To top it off, XZ-Tank Cannon battled a green Crayoniac. All three incidents left the others dumbfounded.

"I declare," Tenku said, "Duel Dune's having a serious identity crisis. Same with the Crayoniacs." And when the tornado cleared, Absolute Crayoniac and XYZ-Dragon Cannon stood for the final time. Both triple combos matched each other blast for blast.

Pokéskid was the first to snap back to reality. "What're we standing around for? Let's go help!" A force of seven overpowered the white giant nicely. Absolute Crayoniac felt the power imbalance as it glowed with electric streams, floated up to the exosphere, and exploded into a billion pieces when the clock struck midnight. Cheers range for both the New Year and the heroes responsible for making it enjoyable.

"I can't believe you told them everything," Laurel said minutes later. After de-transformation, Tabitha's friends were pretty shocked that her siblings joined them in battle. She'd given a good explanation, but they remained unsure.

"Yeah, this was supposed to be our little secret," Yuri added, "That is, with the due exception of our karate teachers."

"She didn't tell us before," Rembo said, "We already knew before she crash-landed here. It was only a matter of time."

"Comparable to when I first joined the group, I suppose," Dana commented.

"Please don't tell Mom, Dad, or Aunt Chelsea," Tabitha requested, "If they ever found out, I'd never hear the end of it."

"It's a done deal," Tikki assured.

When the three siblings reached home, Tikki and Rembo acquired the same greeting Tabitha did earlier. "Tabitha's habit spreads throughout the ranks?" Triolo sighed, "What am I gonna do with you anymore?"

"That makes the seven bravest children this city's ever seen," Ashton said, "Even though you two are nearly adults, you're still children. It's confirmed: we've been blessed with bold offspring." The three just smiled silently.

"Come quick, everybody!" Chelsea called from the living room, "They're showing the fight again!" The rest of the family took a seat wherever they could; Tabitha nestled herself between her siblings. However, she and her friends all fell asleep 17 seconds into the broadcast. Not that it mattered to them or the two teenagers. And speaking of Rembo and Tikki, they just eyed their sleeping sister in satisfaction.

The End


	12. 17: Octane Armor

What did the New Year bring for the state of Illinois besides the same old crime and punishment? Why, none other than new inventions! For at that very moment in a laboratory across from Horner Park, a scientist couple and their associates made the final adjustments to a secret project they'd worked on for eighteen years. From the viewpoint of anyone peering through a knothole in the ceiling, one could only make out a foot and head if not for dim light inside. Completing the final adjustment preceded how the group admired their accomplishment. "And that's that," one scientist commented, "I couldn't wait."

"Neither could I, honey," her husband agreed. One quiet associate glanced the couple's way sinisterly now and then.

"We should get some rest," another suggested. The building served as both a laboratory and a home to the agreeing couple. The ominous member simply made her way out waving goodbye. As the lights went off in several buildings across Chicago and everyone else slept peacefully, she ran off into the blacker areas until fully concealed by darkness. That's when Jenga's familiar, irregular form came calling. By now, her last major public appearance put her career in jeopardy, so she'd practiced putting up invisibility shields while letting only comrades see her. Sleep replaced all possibilities for the couple to learn that there was a criminal working amongst them.

"What's the scoop?" Jenga asked.

"They finished the suit at long last," the traitor informed, "It's going public at 2:30 PM tomorrow. Now don't forget our old deal."

"You worry too much. How could **I** forget a deal?"

The next day, Zenith and her friends spent another day walking all the way to their favorite card shop after school. Even though a new year means changes, some things stay the same. They never missed even one visit. "Whaddaya suppose lies in store for us in the weeks ahead?" Dana wondered, "I mean, besides our duties and so forth."

"Well, a new year means more technological advancements," Yuri said, "Here's a thought: Maybe they'll finally invent something to give your entire body a workout without even having to visit the gym."

"Yeah," Laurel chimed, "Or how 'bout a machine that keeps you from falling asleep at the wrong time?"

"Inventions aren't the only things that the New Year brings," Zenith reminded, "West Chicago seriously needs a cleanup."

"Don't get your hopes up, leader girl," Laurel said, "That'll be the day."

"Hey, look!" Tabitha declared, pointing at the card shop. The kids' hearts skipped a beat since not just anyone simply talked their way to the place. Its natural distance from Polk St. was a half hour's walk, but the conversation at hand made it look like five minutes.

"It's true what they say: Time flies when you're having fun," Dana noted.

"Go figure," Zenith commented, "More like 'when you're distracted'." They shrugged and proceeded inside. Upon entering, Kensho and Akira invited them over to the counter to watch the news on their same portable TV they once presented during Dana's camping trip.

"Impeccable timing," Kensho greeted, "You must see this."

"What's up?" Yuri asked, "And for that matter, what time is it?"

"They planned to broadcast this at 2:30 today," Akira explained, "Right now."

"Oh, it's about to start!" Kensho exclaimed, encouraging the kids to swarm the electronic. The camera showed yet another reporter vigil over last night's laboratory accompanied by same scientists working there.

"Hi, I'm Trip Radford. We're down here live at Bertram Lab where a scientific team is about to reveal something they've worked on for longer than this reporter can count. The heads of this group, Bosworth and Olidia Bertram, shall fill me in." Answering to the call of their names, the scientist couple walked up to the camera. "Is it true that it took you eighteen years to create this marvel?"

"That it did," Olidia answered, "You have no idea how much blood, sweat, and tears we all put into it."

"And what're your plans for it?" Trip continued.

"Before anything else, we hope a brave volunteer can come over and give it a test drive," Bosworth said, "A very special volunteer."

"Can we get a glimpse?"

"We apologize," Olidia said, "Thing is, anything big that appears on television or in the papers always draws up the wrong attention. Considering this thing's potential, it would be especially terrible if it fell into the wrong hands."

"No matter how theoretical," Bosworth agreed, "Our reservations go out to those noble kids who call themselves the Cardz. With all those uprisings occurring in our very own Chicago, we're convinced they're the only ones capable of handling this thing."

Trip faced the camera. "Well, you heard it here, folks. Trip Radford, signing off. Back to the station."

"Uh, why're you looking at us funny?" Tabitha inquired, noting Akira and Kensho's peculiarity.

"Didn't you hear Mr. Bertram?" the former said, "You're being paged. Better scuttle off."

"I'm not so sure," Yuri said, "Wouldn't that be using our powers for personal gain?"

"You saw and heard it for yourselves," Kensho responded, "Whatever's been cooked up at the lab, you can't allow your adversary to seize control of it. Call us crazy, but we believe those scientists."

"Y'know, I think you're absolutely right," Dana said, "If Jenga got hold of whatever it is, she'd dominate us in a snap. Off we go!" So the kids quickly left the shop and advanced to Bertram Lab.

Not far from the lab, Jenga and the associate predictably schemed to filch the invention. Funny as it sounded, the associate turned out to be neither a helper nor a traitor" She was a fraud going by the name of Moss. Moss never actually claimed to be in the Bertrams' allegiance even though it appeared that way. "As usual, I need a monster for the job"

"That doesn't sound right. You're pretty strong. Why not just go in there and take the armor for yourself? I've worked alongside those dummies for more than a decade. They didn't install anything to play you for a fool."

"You forget it remains untested. I want to subject one of my own creatures before I use it myself." So Jenga breathed out her umpteenth gas cloud. From it came some black-colored mutation covered in razor-sharp fur, a drill-shaped beak, horns on the forehead and between the eyes, and three sharp fingers on each hand. Plus, he stood on his toes only, similar to the stance of a deinonychus (without the large toenail). The monster only stared at Jenga without a word to say.

"Sweet," Moss commented, "What's this guy's name?"

"I shall call him Furthorn." Jenga diverted her attention to the monster. "I want you to go to Bertram Lab and steal a special suit those wimps have on secret display. Then give it a test drive if possible."

"It would be my pleasure," Furthorn replied in a growly voice before sprinted off.

The scientists waited patiently outside for the Cardz. Not only couldn't they find anyone else to volunteer, but they themselves hadn't the guts, either. "How long do you suppose it'll take those kids to get here?" one asked.

"Don't worry," Olidia said, "Knowing the Cardz, they'll appear here in the blink of an eye." In response, the Cardz landed there instantly.

"You can say that again," Duel Dune agreed. The scientists jolted at these words. It seemed no matter how many demonstrations the Cardz gave whenever, reason for surprise remained ever present.

"So, you're the Cardz," Boswell greeted, "Greetings."

"Hello to you, too," Pokéskid said, shaking his hand, "We heard you required our presence."

"That we did," another scientist chimed, "Just follow us." As the scientists led the heroes inside, Furthorn secretly appeared on the scene watching carefully from behind a well-grown bush. But Tenku still felt a strange feeling in her head.

"What's wrong?" someone asked.

Tenku looked around for signs of trouble, but Furthorn blended in well with the plant. His long hairs matched the black leaves while the remaining short green leaves concealed him. But one doesn't always need to see things optically. "Funny. Thought I heard something."

"Maybe it's just your imagination." Tenku's eyes darted around once more before she dropped the subject and continued following the scientists. Furthorn moved in closer when the coast was clear. As the door steadily shut, he tossed one of his needle-like hairs in place to keep it open. He inched his way to the door and removed that hair after making sure none spotted him. The Cardz and the scientists had already moved along down the hallway. Furthorn slowly crept inside and shut the door carefully so as not to cause a premature ruckus. Little by little did he follow the two groups through the building. Every once in a while, the other heroes felt the same strange feeling as well. Furthorn remained hidden whenever they turned to look. Jenga had the right idea to make him black so he blended with the dim light.

"It sure is dark in here," Captor Corporal noted, "What's the deal?"

"We're a very secretive people," Olidia explained, "Can't take any chances from outsiders." A door bolted shut opened up by simple handprint identification. Even though it closed him out, Furthorn cared less as he poked two eyeholes in the left wall to watch everything from behind. The Cardz patiently stood by as the scientists turned the lights on, revealing a table currently bearing their veiled invention.

"So, what's behind Door #1?" Digiball asked. In response, the Bertram couple pulled the white cloth off and revealed a suit of armor far advanced for its time. An eye band with one red eye composed the head. The triangular-shaped torso bore a large, mysterious red symbol on the front. The legs resembled huge frankfurters with toes. And the arms were more conical, with one razor on each side and ending in claws.

"Wow!" Duel Dune declared, "That's one fancy costume if I ever did see one!"

"Our 18-year-long work and patience has rewarded us handsomely," Boswell explained, "We call this the Rebel Ensemble 700X."

"That's good," Pokéskid said, "What's it do?"

"You five are truly the most extraordinary that have ever existed in reality," Olidia continued, "But bringing superpowers to life began probably before you learned how to tie your shoes. This armor enhances one's speed and abilities. We built it from a new grade of steel and to resist just about anything. It's loaded with much ammunition and supposedly manufactures more so that it never runs out. The armor doesn't run on any fuel and can even repair itself. Truly a work of art that we've put our hearts into."

"A body-enhancing outfit," Digiball translated.

"Yep," Boswell said, "We planned on giving this to the military for usage only as a last-ditch resort. Problem is, we have no way of knowing its true potential because we can't find a brave enough soul to take it for a test drive."

"Plus, none of us is brave enough to test it ourselves," another scientist added, "It'd be a catastrophe if the armor fell in the wrong hands."

"So when you heard of our escapades and allegiance, you thought we'd be the perfect test subjects," Captor Coporal concluded.

"Well, if you don't mind," Olidia said, nodded her head with the other scientists.

"Except for the small things, we go wherever we're needed," Pokéskid announced, "If it's a test you want, then you'll get it."

Furthorn's eavesdropping was exposed when a scientist noticed the eyeholes. "Hey, where'd those holes in the wall come from?"

Everyone else was just as puzzled. "I knew I felt something wrong," Tenku admitted.

"Most peculiar," Boswell commented, "Nobody's this strong enough to make holes line up so neatly."

"Hey, I see something in the hall!" another pointed out, "And it looks like they're coming our way!" Everybody stood back and listened to the sound and felt the rumbling of galloping feet. Furthorn busted the door down, quickly grabbed the armor, and bashed through the wall on the opposite side. All souls hesitatingly followed him to the back area, which served as testing grounds for anyone who worked at the lab.

"You give that armor back this instant, you Armored Lizard wannabe!" Duel Dune demanded.

A couple scientists familiarized him with a different creature, however. "Hey, that's the same horned bird from Animorphs!" one noted, "What do you call 'em again? Hork-...Hork-..."

"Hork-Bajir, I believe," the second reminded.

"Hork-whatsie?" Digiball asked, "Ani-what's?"

"Hork-Bajir," the first explained, "There was this book series going by the name of Animorphs. It tells the story of five kids given the ability to save the world from invading aliens by turning into whatever animal or other they touched."

"Yeah," the second added, "These slug-like creatures called Yeerks crawl into a host's head and control them. Two groups they already enslaved are giant centipedes called Taxxons and humanoid birds called Hork-Bajir."

"How nice to be compared to so many otherworldly elements," Furthorn retorted, "But enough references. This suit belongs to me now!"

"Wrong again!" Captor Corporal shot back. The monster tossed the armor aside with the heroes advancing and gave them a piece of his mind. Pokéskid and Digiball counterattacked a bombardment of needle hairs.

"Pin Missile!"

"Spirit Needle!"

"Sand card!" Captor Corporal broke the tradition. As Tenku soon found out, hitting Furthorn straight on wouldn't last long for her.

"Dang! He's razor-sharp!"

"Sword fight!" Furthorn yelled, taking out an extended needle to wield. Duel Dune brusquely came to the call.

"Lightning Blade!" She produced an electric sword which clashed with the opposing hand. Approximately nineteen sword swings and tricks later, Furthorn ended the round by destroying Duel Dune's weapon effortlessly. As the battle progressed, the scientists played bystander.

"Hey, look!" one pointed out. The armor jiggled a bit., stood up on its synthetic haunches, and blasted off right when the Cardz regrouped to catch their breath. Despite their best efforts, Furthorn simply wouldn't go down.

"You'll never defeat me! The mistress commands, and Furthorn obeys!" Charging for the heroes ended with a collision by an oncoming object: the armor come to the Cardz' aid. "So you wanna mix it up with me, huh? Fine!" Everyone else scrutinized in awe as both suit and monster clashed together. The scientists received their wish halfway: Even though they knew the suit's capabilities, the mystery of what effect it would have on its wearer nonetheless remained.

"I tell you, technology's growing more and more dangerous all the time," Captor Corporal commented.

"Affirmative," Olidia said as she and Boswell joined the Cardz slightly, "Everything we predicted that the suit would carry out is no longer a fable. It's the greatest machine we've ever invented in our lives!"

"And yet, we feel it's more than a machine," Boswell said, "It could very well be its own person for all we know."

"You're mine, armor!" Furthorn shot out. Unfortunately for him or Jenga, the armor refused to compromise; it was very clear whom the brilliant invention sided with. The Armored Lizard (or Hork-Bajir, whichever) imposter recoiled as the armor floated a foot above the ground. Forces of good and evil awaited its next move.

"What's going on?" Duel Dune wondered. As the armor pointed a red laser light at the Cardz and Furthorn, continually changing targets, it didn't take long for the married couple to figure it out.

"That's it!" Olidia figured, "The armor has its own mind now! It's trying to choose whom it'll become part of."

So heroes and villain coached it. "Choose one of us!" Tenku called out.

"You better fuse with me!" Furthorn threatened, "I'm your avatar!"

"Choose whichever one of us you wish!" Pokéskid encouraged, "Don't go for that creep!" As the shouting continued, the suit flashed the light one last time on Furthorn. He clenched his fists in satisfaction while everyone else hung their heads low knowing what this meant.

"Well, we tried," Captor Corporal said.

"You're making the right decision!" Furthorn called. But the light ended in a blast that sent him sprawling to the ground before flashing upon the Cardz like a spotlight without inflicting the same damage.

"Looks like you're the winners," Boswell said, "Makes sense since you five aren't planning to use our invention for evil."

"Yeah, but it can't merge with all of us," Digiball reminded, "It's only meant for one person." The armor stopped flashing and separated into its five diverse components of head, torso, arms, and legs. The pieces flew around in a spiral waiting for someone to obtain them.

"One of us has to reach that armor," Pokéskid said, "And since I'm the leader, it's probably up to me."

"Go for it, leader girl," Tenku said. But Furthorn struck again and bashed four of the Cardz against a wall. "Yeesh, your spines hurt!"

"Now you're shish kebob!" Furthorn then did a double take at the four he pinned. "Wait a second. Where's the fifth one?" Everyone turned and saw Digiball in the spiral gaining the armor. When the fusion was complete, a mechanical version of the Russian hero stood tall.

"Well, I'll be darned!" a scientist declared.

"Nice!" Digiball added, admiring herself, "MetalGreymon may as well be envious!"

"That armor is mine!" Furthorn dropped the other Cardz and stormed for Digiball. She did a back flip and activated the suit's weapon systems, barraging the monster with a load of tiny missiles. Now her knew true punishment.

"Cool! Just like MetalGarurumon!" The warrior took it even further by holding her arms up high, gathering energy, and unleashed a straight blast upon Furthorn. Then came two more from the pectorals. "Neato! They included WarGrowlmon's Atomic Blaster attack on this!" And just when the monster caught up to Digiball, the armor changed its mind and switched to Tenku.

"My turn!"

"I want that armor!" What he got was a bunch of blurry, lightning-fast punches from Tenku. No matter how quickly he moved, she stayed one step ahead. But he grew angrier and more desperate by the second. "Quit playing around with me!"

"Who's playing?" The armor changed its mind again and fit itself nicely upon Captor Corporal. He had his turn on Furthorn via blurry, lightning-fast kicks. Neither the monster nor anyone else escaped déjà vu.

"Had enough, beaky?"

"Never!" Duel Dune became the suit's fourth possession. However, Furthorn took extreme measures. "I'M DRAWING THE LINE!" In his rage, needles flew all over the place and contained enough velocity to carve an anvil.

"Look out!" Tenku shouted. She, Pokéskid, Digiball, and Captor Corporal dodged the needles while at the same time protecting the innocent scientists. Duel Dune on the other hand ended up a smashed mess.

"Duel Dune!" the other Cardz cried in shock.

"I can't believe it," Olidia said, "Our ultimate invention, the Rebel Ensemble 700X, lies in ruins along with that poor child."

Furthorn was surprised yet satisfied. "Well, well. This certainly changes everything, now doesn't it?" He walked over to the mess and stared in amusement. "If couldn't filch the mechanical shell for my mistress, I destroyed it and your bratty comrade. I believe she'll be even happier because of this." A hit in the back of Furthorn's head got him to face the two groups. "Who's the wise-acre?"

"Well, **I** didn't do anything," a scientist stammered. Furthorn took another hit and turned around in insanity.

"What's going on around here? Am I losing my mind?" The minute something tapped him on the shoulder, he met a floating fist that punched him squarely in the eyes. If they didn't see it themselves, the other Cardz wouldn't've believed it.

"Alive even after destruction," Boswell observed, "Quick! Somebody take some notes!"

In a matter of seconds, the mechanized Duel Dune put her pieces back together. "How do you like them apples?" she shot out. And for the final time, the armor switched to Pokéskid before Furthorn reacted. Unlikely survival of a fifth encounter meant inevitable failure, but the beaked menace chose to take his opponent with him.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN IN PEBBLES!" His final charge led to Pokéskid meeting him face to face and picking him up. Her upper body rotated furiously like a crane until she tossed the monster several miles high. And to finish the job, she repeated Digiball's second attack and blew him to kingdom come. The others then gathered around to congratulate her.

"Way to go!" Captor Corporal declared, "You really stuck it to 'im!"

"We'll make a fortune for sure!" one of the scientists added.

"Thanks," Pokéskid said, "Now that Furthorn's down for the count, how do I get this suit off?" Before anyone responded, the armor disconnected from the Native American and flew up high.

"Now what?" another scientist wondered. Orange light spread like veins through the armor, carrying out a self-destruct sequence. Losing nearly two decades worth of drudgery made the scientists crestfallen.

"Well, so much for that," Duel Dune said, "Sorry you lost that magnificent invention."

"Then again, maybe it's better this way," Boswell said, "Risks of danger are high."

"We should leave now," Pokéskid said, "See you in the soup." And so the Cardz departed for home. It was at that moment a third scientist finally noticed something else important.

"Say, where's Moss been all this time?"

At the same time, Moss let loose her complaints. As a normal human being, she was too far away to observe the battle between the Cardz and Furthorn. So Jenga gave her a temporary 'window' earlier to look through. "Great. Your monster failed, the Rebel Ensemble 700X is no more, and I'll never become a billionaire now. Looks like I'm finished with those nerds." Realizing something else, Moss pulled out a paper from her pocket and handed it to Jenga. "Oh, this came in fer you." In exchange, Jenga paid her for spying and a little extra for the paper.

"Leave me be. I wish to read this in private." Moss acknowledged and ran off, never to work at Bertram Lab again. Jenga read the writing on the paper silently before putting it away. Reading it planted a peculiar look on her face. What exactly did that paper say? Well, that was just a question for another day.

The End


	13. 19: Eyes All Around

With two major menaces to fight instead of just one, homework and detention were the least of the Cardz' worries. What ideas stuck on Wave's mind? What tricks lay up her lack of sleeves thereof? Because of her inexperience as a newly formed mutant at conjuring up destructive creatures, Jenga tutored her daughter diligently in the art of higher-than-average chaos like any mother should. "To create a monster, you must concentrate hard in releasing the green gas that dwells within. It's like this." At her own words, the cloud Jenga breathed formed a Leatherhead that stood like a statue same as the occasional obedient soldier. "Now you give it a shot."

"What do I make?"

"Start with a Leatherhead. They're the most basic." But instead of the usual electric lime color, out of Wave's mouth came a puff of charcoal forming itself into a rather irregularly shaped Leatherhead. The mother-daughter couple gave stupefied looks at the sight, and their disgust shifted to surprise when the error crumbled right into dust. Wave was distraught.

"Just nice. I'm still a second-rate dimwit if I can't create one lousy Leatherhead, let alone something from my imagination."

"That's because you used the wrong gas. You belched up automobile exhaust instead of nuclear fumes. Try again." The second time produced yet another messed-up Leatherhead which lasted only three seconds as a projection image before dissipation.

Wave continued to sulk. "It's no use, Mom. I just can't make a thing."

"You're not even trying. For Pete's sake, concentrate!" At the tone and pressure of her mother's voice, the mutated teenager did just that and breathed a third cloud. Jenga smacked her forehead in exasperation since this one resembled the first. "Ugh, this'll take all month."

"You spoke too soon, Mom. Look!" Jenga did a double take and saw something different about the cloud for sure. It took on the form of an honest-to-badness Leatherhead. Touching the shoulder for clarity showed that it didn't crumble or anything of the sort. Jenga faced her daughter in gratification, placing a tentacle on a metallic shoulder.

"Well done, Wave. It seems the two of us belch unique colors. Now that you've stormed the Leatherhead, what's your idea?"

Wave thought it over for a short time. "I know! How 'bout this?" She coughed another and made her first monster; in the room's center floated a huge eyeball with an orange eyelid. So what were its capabilities beyond no limbs? An intrigued Jenga observed the eye.

"That's a good one. Whaddaya call it?"

"I'm glad you asked." The eye watched Wave approach it. "I hereby dub this monster Evil Eye!"

And he was quick to agree. "I like the sound of that. So, what's it gonna be?"

"Go ahead, Wave. You created this one, so you must give it a command."

"My pleasure. Evil Eye, kindly float outside and stare the entire city down. Give 'em a staring contest with or without their permission."

"Huh?" Jenga queried, "I don't get it."

"I'm off." Evil Eye fired himself high up into the stratosphere, making a hole in the roof and the building's upper floors. But a certain boss had other things on mind. What exactly did her audible daughter mean by a staring contest?

"You have me puzzled, Wave. What's this about?"

"I took a page from your book, Mom. From what I know, you've always followed the expression of 'Nothing is what it seems.' Just trust me on this one." After that, Wave immediately felt a strange sensation in her metal body. "Whoa! Is my stomach growling?"

"That's the feel of power, child. As I said before: With every monster on the scene, the more our energy increases."

"'That's all we have to share about the Sanfords'," Tabitha recited. Four days after Wave's urban stage debut, the kids returned to the assignment their teacher designated on that same day. They collected the facts and typed up three pages as instructed plus a bibliography. To top it off, the group spent trips to the card shop like today reciting over and over. Once again, Kensho and Akira had another lesson planned for the preteens. Never had they missed a lesson nor arrived late. As the second semester drew nearer, they wanted to make this final count.

"That about does it," Dana said, "Think this wraps it up?"

"I believe so," Zenith answered, "Good thing nobody's caused mischief the past three days. But **I** think that's subject to change today."

Yuri accepted the report from Tabitha and slipped it into the Chinese girl's backpack. "Now that that's done and out of the way, I wonder what our karate teachers have in store for us?"

"There's only one way to find out," came Akira's voice from inside.

Once the kids set their extra items aside and took off their shoes, the Japonic adults taught them about a supposed 'sixth sense'. "What would you say if we told you that the human body typically contains more than just five senses?" Kensho said.

"Uh, you're watching too many sci-fi movies?" Yuri guessed.

"Wrong again," Akira added, "Alongside taste, smell, touch, sight, and sound, most people can't name so much as a sixth sense even when it's right under their noses. There are the senses of balance, pain, temperature, and best of all, instinct."

"I confess, I'm one of those people," Laurel admitted, "Instinct is the core essence of my soul."

"And now we shall work on it," Kensho said, producing blindfolds from his sleeve, "Tie these blindfolds around your eyes." The kids accepted the pieces of cloth and followed his request.

"Okay," Zenith said, "Now that we're blindfolded, what next?"

"You're going to learn how to see without your eyes," Akira instructed, "That's the power of instinct." The training commenced once the adults barraged the kids with few and small blows starters.

Evil Eye loomed above the skyscrapers in a tranquil manner. Few made out a black circle descending from the heavens, and some secretly thought it might be a meteor or new airship. Detail came into view as Evil Eye's shadow enveloped several city blocks. But judging by appearances, he may as well have been from another planet. He did nothing to bring the Cardz on the scene just yet, rather, calmly allowing himself on the news. No newsgroup in town took a chance missing this 'creature from another world'. How else could they explain it, what with all the poison other media inflicted upon their minds?

"We're downtown in Chicago, coming live from Sauganash," a reporter said, "We've followed what appears to be an eye from space. Right now, it's put a stop to natural activity and is observing our every move. Why, I have no idea."

Jenga and Wave scoffed at the pitiful assumption. "You've officially scored an A, my dear," the former complimented, "Not only have you created a magnificent creature, but you also fooled everyone into thinking it's extraterrestrial."

"How dense can anyone get," Wave commented, "And if you think this is good, wait'll you see its talents."

Nothing more happened in the ticking hours. The kids and their non-school teachers continued training until sunset, remaining unaware of current events. But the kids felt a tad distraught themselves when training stopped and they removed the blindfolds from their faces. "What a rush," Laurel commented, "Instinct's not the only sense we've taken for granted, I tell you."

"That's correct," Akira said, "But don't worry. The first step is always the hardest to take. We're all beginners at some point in our lives."

"Is this even any way to fight?" Dana wondered.

"Yes," Kensho answered, "A true warrior depends on all of his or her senses. That includes instinct." Everyone then looked up at the clock on the wall and put a stop to training.

"That's all for today," Akira announced, "But remember, this is only the first part."

"See ya later!" Tabitha called, and the kids rushed back to their houses. Evil Eye stared upon Chicago without end, causing people to close shop early out of boredom. But despite his presence and massive influence, only the anime-empowered quintet remained unaware of Evil Eye's existence. The lesson they learned about instinct earlier in the day hung on their minds like coats on a coat rack. Exactly how useful would this newfound ability prove later on?

"See without eyes, huh?" Yuri mentioned, "I don't think I ever heard of such a thing before."

"Maybe you have but forgot," Laurel suggested, "I should know. The Z Fighters do this sort of thing 24-7. Till now, I overlooked 'em."

"My mom's taught me many old ways of our ancestors," Zenith spoke, "But the shop owners' lessons seriously put those to shame. I can't even remember most of that stuff anymore."

"Welcome to the 21st century," Dana commented.

It wasn't long before they split up and walked straight through their own front doors. Zenith found her mother and sister watching prime-time news. One glance at this trio sitting on the couch told the world that watching the news ran in the family. "What're you doing up this late?" Zenith asked Nadir, "And what're you two watching?"

"You gotta see this!" Nadir responded, "An alien eye is floating above the buildings right now! Imagine that!"

"Plus, this broadcast has filled up every time slot on every channel," Snapdragon added, "Very interesting." Zenith took a quick peek for herself, followed by a mad dash to the phone to dial up Yuri's number.

At the Glinka house, the Russian girl was speaking Laurel. "No fooling. Oh, wait a second. There's someone else on the line." So she switched it. "Glinka residence. Yuri speaking."

"Hey, Yuri."

"Oh, Zenith. Hello. What's the buzz?"

"You won't believe what's going on at my house."

"Your mom and Nadir are watching the news about some giant eyeball. I know because the rest of us found our families the same way." All at once, the group shared the phone line for a new conversation.

"You're telling me," Laurel commented, "My parents can't get their eyes off the tube for a single minute. And you know what else? I never thought we could all talk at once on the phone."

"No offense, but it sounds like you've missed out on something," Dana said, "Anyway, what's it all mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tabitha said, "I say it's another of Jenga's monsters. Are we gonna go stop it or what?"

"Hold on a moment," Zenith chimed, "It's not wise to jump to conclusions. It might be a stunt or something, you can never tell."

"Actually, Tabitha's got a point," Laurel agreed, "What'll we do if we wake up tomorrow with our neighborhood surrounded by rubble?"

"Nothing," Zenith continued, "Let's keep our phalanges crossed, go to bed, and hope Chicago's still standing in the morning."

"No fooling," Yuri agreed, "I'm bushed. Good night." And so the kids hung up, brushed their teeth, changed into sleepwear, and went straight to bed. The combination of training and schoolwork left them drained.

The next morning, just about everyone in town situated themselves somewhere on the streets or in their living rooms. The same broadcast that played the day before yet remained on the screen. Evil Eye never budged even one inch. What was he up to? Zenith couldn't watch because she was in the shower. Conversely, the other two couldn't stop watching. "Is it just gonna float there?" Nadir wondered.

"I don't know, dear," Snapdragon answered, "But you should head off to school. Hopefully, that eyeball won't cause any damage or go places." Just then, Evil Eye finally chose to make his move.

"So nice of you to gaze upon my roundness. You're all a sight for sore eyes yourselves, I'm sure."

"It's happened!" a reporter declared, "The alien eye is finally communicating with us! Now the only question is where it all goes from here." As usual, Jenga and Wave went with the flow and too stared at the television. Being mutants meant no need for consumables or sleep. They could stare a blinking VCR clock down for a century if they tried!

"This is it, Mom," Wave announced, "Evil Eye is about to show off his technique." And according to the eyeball's next words, he'd apparently heard the reporter's say in the matter.

"That's correct, you little snoop you. Don't blink!" Suddenly, a white flash beamed down on every pair of eyes watching, whether inside or outside. In the Baker house, Snapdragon and Nadir were no more exempt from the effect.

"Mom, where did you go?"

"I'm right where I've sat this whole time. What about you?"

"So am I!"

"What's going on in here?" Zenith asked upon entry. With the time she took to prepare, Evil Eye unwittingly forfeited the chance to blind her like his pupil did to all observers. Lack of sight caused quite a pandemonium in the city. Thankfully, few accidents occurred because the police declared Chicago a possible disaster zone ahead of time. Zenith turned the tube off and observed mother and sister. "What's wrong?"

"Zenith, is that you?" Snapdragon asked.

"Of course it's me. I'm standing right in front of you."

"We can't see," Nadir added, "Couldja turn on the lights?"

"There's not much sunlight, I'll admit, but there's plenty light all around."

"In any case, you'll have to walk your sister to school today," Snapdragon instructed, "And for some strange reason, she'll require more help than usual." Zenith learned this better than she knew, helping Nadir with her snow coat and such. Then the two walked on out the door.

Nadir continually held her sister's hand as Yuri, Tabitha, Laurel, and Dana joined them at the corner. They too missed Evil Eye's effect because of their preparations. Pity their families counted within 'everyone else' as well. Nadir never really joined the group to wait for the bus most days. Zenith either joined the others down at the street corner while her sister waited at their house alone or joined her. But the 11-year old quintet with an 8-year old? The idea never came to mind until now.

"Oh," Tabitha noted, "We didn't think your sister would join us today."

"Zenith, what's happening?" Nadir asked, "Was that Tabitha?"

"From the sound of her voice, I don't have to ask what's up with her," Yuri noted, "My parents played the same game this morning."

"Tell me about it," Laurel agreed, "I stood before my open-eyed parents, yet they saw zip."

"I knew it the whole time," Tabitha confirmed, "That eyeball came from Wave and Jenga." Dana abruptly but calmly quieted his friend.

"Shhhhhh. Lest you forget, we've got company." Dana pointed to Nadir to confirm his statement.

"Who's Wave?" Nadir questioned, "And who's Jenga?"

"Nah, Tabitha's only joking around," Laurel lied. The group waited for at least an hour, but the bus didn't come to pick them up. Strange, the bus driver made a record of being on time for probably a decade or so. It wasn't until the older kids forfeited and decided to walk the great distance that they noticed Evil Eye high above the cityscape.

"Isn't that the same thing our families saw on the television?" Yuri said.

"If you mean that giant eye, yes," Nadir confirmed.

"Wouldja take a look at that," Laurel pointed out. A conversation betwixt them made the walk seem short once again, but that wasn't the strangest part. Somehow, most kids and staff arrived at the school in one piece exhibiting the same blindness behaviors. Truly just this group remained unaffected. The preteens gathered in a circle and further conversed quietly so as to bar prying ears.

"Uh oh," Zenith commented, "We've got trouble on our hands."

"What'd I tell you?" Tabitha refuted.

"Then let's leave," Yuri said, "But not before we lie to Nadir again."

"Zenith, where are you?" Nadir called out, "What're you doing now?"

"Dana forgot his backpack at home," Laurel lied again, hands on the little girl's shoulders, "Don't worry, this won't take very long. Just stay right where you are. Don't move an inch." Aside from transforming behind a nearby grove, this was obviously one of those time the Cardz ignored cloning; no one saw them anyway. They could've just done the first part in the open, but one can't be too careful no matter how large or small a settlement and regardless of conditions.

Back up above the skyscrapers, Evil Eye admired his work. "Excellent, I must say. But my instinct tells me I cannot leave because I've missed someone." He looked to the distance. "And here they come now." The Cardz flew up and stared Evil Eye down. "Oh, my. Now you are most strictly a sight for sore eyes."

"Skip the optical wisecracks, buddy," Captor Corporal retorted, "We're wiping the floor with you. Windy card!"

"Rock Throw!"

"Solar Flare!"

"Dust Tornado!"

"Diamond Storm!" Evil Eye withstood the attacks by putting up his eyelid as a shield and spinning furiously. They bounced off him harmlessly but drove the public into a great panic. Without sight, it didn't really matter whether or not the bombardments struck them.

"Watch it up there!" one called.

"What's happening around here?" another yelled. Tenku made the mistake of charging head on. Evil Eye probably expected this when he countered her with another blinding flash. She abruptly stopped in place and blinked.

"What happened? Who turned out the lights?" The others flew up to her and questioned her condition.

"Hey, Tenku, what's the deal?" Digiball asked.

"Digiball, is that you? Where'd everything go?"

"Oh, kids!" Evil Eye called, "Aren't you forgetting something?" The minute they turned around, it was too late to react. Evil Eye blinded them too, and not even Pokéskid's shades protected her.

"Um, are the rest of you still here?" Duel Dune asked. Before anybody could answer or even react, they received a bash in the back. Evil Eye had taken advantage of their predicament to ambush them.

"You've had it!" Pokéskid declared, "Bullet Seed!" Unfortunately for the fighter, she faced the wrong direction and shot the seeds into a bunch of windows instead, shattering them. Evil Eye continued his assault bashing the Cardz.

"I'm getting tired of this!" Captor Corporal announced, "Arrow card!" As expected, he missed the monster and just barely missed a person's head. Rather, the arrows pierced the hat he wore. All this fighting caused a larger panic in the public. Oh, the insanity!

"Watch where you're shooting!" someone yelled.

"Hey, team!" Pokéskid called, "Not so big! We might hit someone!" At that moment, Evil Eye caught the leader of the Cardz unexpectedly and attempted blasting her to a million pieces. But Pokéskid remembered something important. "Barrier!" She put up a protective force field to hold off the monster's attack. He was surprised, but only a little bit.

"Astounding. You managed to block my attack without eyesight. But it's of no consequence. You're going down anyhow." Somehow, Tenku managed communicating telepathically to her friend.

-Hey, Pokéskid. Where are you, leader-girl?-

-Lovely telepathic demonstration, Tenku. And if you wanna find me, just use your instincts like Akira and Kensho taught us the day before. That's how I'm taking on this monster.- The other three happened to overhear this.

"Of course!" Digiball said, "Why didn't I think of it before?"

"You want instinct, you got it!" Captor Corporal agreed.

"You two are louder than you seem!" Duel Dune declared. One whole blast diminished Pokéskid's shield, so Evil Eye fired another to eradicate the rest of her only to have it deflected into the exosphere. He couldn't believe it! All five then gathered and faced him straight on.

"This can't be! I took away your eyesight! How are you doing this?"

"Nothing beats the power of instinct!" Pokéskid announced.

"I'll be the judge of that!" Evil Eye shot another blast that missed the scrambling group. Tenku fired several tiny blasts at his fragile cornea, but he closed up and spun again. But since the Cardz expected him to repeat it, Tenku grabbed and held tight enough to stop the momentum. Pokéskid, Digiball, and Captor Corporal added on by forcing the eyelid open. Evil Eye was officially helpless.

"Now, Duel Dune!" Digiball called, "The rest is up to you!"

"I'm on it!" Duel Dune focused hard, picturing in her mind complete blackness and a circular flash. The blackness represented the empty space around while the flash was Evil Eye. The Chinese warrior took careful aim. "Cyber Energy Shock!" Dark-colored static waves began a chain reaction of aging characteristics.

"Oh, my!" Evil Eye cried, "This is not good!" The helpless monster flaked and dried up, eventually transforming into a ball of dust that crumbled easily. With him gone, the widespread blindness wore off.

"Hey, I can see again!" Captor Corporal said.

"Me too!" Tenku chimed.

"We can all see again," Pokéskid finished, "Now let's get back to school before Nadir and Ms. Nekron miss us."

Back at Jenga's hideout, Wave sulked at the sight on television. Her very first monster, which she worked hard to conjure up, quit the world in an instant. "No! I can't believe this! The Cardz did it again!"

"Expect the unexpected. Never rely on your creations to destroy enemies for you. You create them to gain more power, I've told you this time and time again." Jenga paused momentarily. "But you know, this changes everything. From now on, we're creating monsters together."

The End


	14. 21: Wield Away

Elements such as fire and water exist all around as the world turns. The people of ancient times (and their descendants who kept the old ways alive) knew that best since they'd incorporated such ideas into stories and religious teachings. And it so happened on this day that Akira and Kensho taught the kids about the elements in nature. "You've got chemical elements of the periodic table," the latter began, "But there exists another set of elements by which the fundamentals of existence stand upon."

"Most people will only tell you of five elements, them being fire, water, land, air, and life," Akira added, "But they always leave out the sixth element: light. So there are typically six elements in nature, despite what anyone else may tell you."

"How does someone know what element they represent?" Yuri asked.

"Oh, we all have a little bit of each in our souls," Kensho continued, "Other things classified as their own elements include gold, wood, metal, and so on. But there exist only six basic elements: fire, water, land, air, life, and light. Imagine what might happen if somebody found a way to combine them into one sole mass. That might either cause a mess or somehow benefit all." Everyone in the room paused to think this over. The two adults quickly exchanged glances before redirecting their attention to the kids, thereby breaking the silence.

"And that's all for today's lesson," Akira announced, "The two of us must close up shop early." Without hesitation, the kids shrugged and exited. The adults then faced each other a second time. Ever since explaining their past to their students, Kensho and Akira lately felt a strange sensation inside whenever their eyes met. The kids themselves never seemed to realize what was going on, although they did notice that the lessons seemed shorter than usual. Stranger yet, it only happened a few days ago while feeling more like at least a month.

"Saiko?" Kensho asked Akira, naming off a restaurant in town.

"I'm there," she answered, gladly accepting the offer.

Meanwhile, that's exactly what lay on the kids' minds on the way home. Why did their fighting teachers act so peculiarly? And what of these short lessons? "The lessons sure have been quick, lately," Laurel noted, "Any ideas why?"

"Maybe they're sick," Tabitha suggested.

"I don't think so," Zenith countered, "I know a condition when I see it, and that's no illness. Perhaps another friend, whom they've spoken nothing of, has died or something."

"I never got to discuss the quartet of wind, fire, earth, and water," Dana said, "They're definitely hiding something, though, I can't understand why they'd give us the cold shoulder."

"Probably too mature for us," Yuri decided, "I'd feel the same way about watching an R-rated movie and not telling my folks." So the group simply shrugged and let it go.

Jenga and Wave plotted as usual at the hideout. Through a customs of hers somewhere in Minnesota, a package spent at least 29 hours in smuggling before reaching Chicago's own black market. And from there, several thugs played handover before arriving at Jenga's door. Ironically, the mother-daughter couple also caught wind of the six basic elements in nature from a cable movie. This movie's characters used the powers of light, life, water, and so forth for who knew what. Like the two really cared for entertainment anymore; they just wanted their inspiration. Since most parents considered television as one of the universe's greatest evils, and who of all people in this city should use this anecdote to their advantage? But Jenga answered the door when a knock interrupted.

"What's your excuse for this disruption?" she questioned. The stranger answered by showing the package. "Oh." Jenga accepted it and paid the 'deliverer' several 20s. After running their fingers through the stack, the stranger gave a thanks and quickly left while Jenga marveled at the prize back inside. "At last. Took them long enough."

Wave shut off the television and joined her mother. "What's the deal, Mom?" Her eyes then hit the package. "Hey, aren't those the custom tools we ordered not too long ago?"

"They are. It's time we brought that little movie to reality." The two stepped outside after making sure no one was looking, and Jenga became a bus for Wave to ride. Secret movements unwittingly gave the Cardz time to relax throughout the day. Jenga simply drove up to Navy Pier and stopped to extend a tentacle into Lake Michigan and absorb some water, departing just as quickly. But her mysterious action didn't go completely unnoticed by a couple of workers despite the black windows and the tentacle's concealment.

"I wonder why a school bus driver and kids would wanna cruise on the weekend?" one mentioned, "I never heard of a Saturday field trip."

"Either that, or the driver's lost," the other remarked.

Further on down, Jenga's snatchings included a bush and a piece of charcoal. Soon enough, the two found themselves back on the outskirts in the same spot where Bammer a.k.a. Frank Cogsworth received the final fight of his life. Wave tore the package open and set down six single-bitted hatchets. "Are we seriously making that movie we watched as real as the two of us?" she asked.

"We are, child. Hope the Cardz came prepared for a situation in which absorption is no option." With that, Wave and Jenga breathed their gases upon the tools, turning them black and green at the same time. The hatchets floated upwards before faces waiting to be affected by whatever physically touched them first. The two each moved a hand to make the hatchets fly in disarray. Once ignited, the piece of coal Jenga stole earlier also floated up and caused a hatchet to burn without end. A second was doused in the water and just dripped. Wave took a crack at it herself and fused a handful of dirt with a third hatchet. Then she grabbed a fourth whose hybrid gas got blown off by some wind. Rather than fly off, the gas instead reattached and filled the tool with a windy aura. And to finish her turn, Wave fused the stolen bush to the fifth hatchet. A bump appeared underneath the blade as a result, pulsating like a human heart. To top it all off, Jenga flashed her headlight on the final one to make it brim on the inside. The six hatchets then floated back up to their faces again for them to ponder.

"Now that that's done, who's gonna wield 'em?"

"Well, I can't think of any new monsters to make. And there's no way I'm relying on my associates high or low to test out these powers. We'll just have to use Leatherheads for now."

"You sure it'll be safe in hands as those?"

"My Leatherheads' loyalty is without question since I'm the one who first thought 'em up. Now help me make six." A combined and much larger cloud divided into six lumps that quickly shaped themselves into Leatherheads. Moreover, their eyes permanently changed to match whichever new weapon they wielded: red, blue, yellow, pink, green, and white. The Leatherhead who now wielded the power of light looked the same as any ordinary one due to the fact that its eyes remained the usual white. "Alright, Leatherheads, listen up. You six are an elite group. Wave and I have bestowed the elements of land, life, fire, light, water, and air upon you all. Now, attack the city!" The Leatherheads saluted to their makers and rushed to the urban landscape.

Meanwhile, the group at Laurel's house pondered elements with their cards and the characters on their favorite shows. "My Five-Headed Dragon is combined of fire, water, air, darkness, and land," Tabitha noted, "Yet it still ends up a dark monster. Is darkness its own element?"

"Some would think so and therefore substitute it for life," Zenith answered, "But according to Kensho and Akira, darkness is probably placed in the category of light." She observed one of her own cards, a Swellow. "The people who made Pokémon gave 17 subdivisions of the basic elements. One of them, Flying, counts as both life and air."

"Don't think I can categorize anyone or anything in the Dragonball trilogy," Laurel said, "Truthfully, neither the Z Fighters nor their enemies seem to specialize in the elements, unlike your shows." The Kenyan girl then rethought her words. "Then again, maybe it's all light."

"55 cards exist within the Clow," Dana mentioned, "It follows the quartet I mentioned earlier. Furthermore, I hear the powers of light and darkness create that kind of energy known only as chaos. Don't ask where I heard it, though."

"Yeah, I know that best of all," Yuri responded, "Lucemon Chaos Mode used the same technique against the Season 4 digidestined." She changed the subject. "Even though those two taught us that everyone has a little bit of every element in their souls, I can't help feeling that each of us relates to a specific one more than the other five. For example, I prefer the Seadramon chain, which happens to be water-dwelling. Plus, there's just something about the substance that stimulates me more than usual. Therefore, I probably relate best to water."

"There's a thought," Laurel followed, "My dad's always called me a hothead, what with my gruff behavior and habit of rushing into things. Maybe that's why I relate so much to fire."

"Ain't it the truth, sweetie!" Scott called from another room. Laurel's eyes quickly darted in that direction, and she smiled at her dad's compliment. The others soon followed Yuri's example.

"I'm bustling full of life," Tabitha said, "And that's no joke."

"Air always flows through my body," Dana said.

"And I'm the shining base upon which this team was built," Zenith finished, "Guess that means I relate most to the final two elements, land and light." Suddenly, an explosion several blocks away interrupted the conversation. Anyone could see destruction via a simple window peep.

"Well, well," Yuri commented, "For the umpteenth time, duty calls."

Downtown certainly wasn't much different from last time. Though, if anyone studied long enough, they'd wonder why a group of Leatherheads made the ruckus instead of a more unique monster like all those other times. Just took it as it came. The Cardz pondered the same themselves upon arrival. "Wow," Duel Dune commented, "What's up with those Leatherheads? They're stronger than usual."

"These ones are cruisin' for a much larger bruisin'," Tenku said, "And that's exactly what we're giving them!"

"Hey, Leatherheads!" Pokéskid called out, drawing their attention, "Come and get us!" In luring the Leatherheads away from people and buildings, the Cardz fought outside Chicago for the fourth time in their noble careers. As both teams stared each other in the eyes, that's when the Cardz noticed differences with the Leatherheads.

"Huh," Digiball commented, "Well, other than their colorful weapons, they got corresponding eyes. You couldn't even tell whether or not that one with the glowing white ax was a regular Leatherhead or what. Speaking of glowing, that red ax must've left a metalworking furnace."

"Tell me about it," Captor Corporal agreed, "The way that green ax is pulsating really gives me the creeps."

"Funny," Duel Dune added, "The blue one won't stop dripping all over the place, that yellow ax has sand coming off of it, and the pink looks like someone keeps blowing on it."

"Do you suppose...?" Pokéskid began, and the five heroes immediately realized these newfound powers.

"Don't tell me: Those six hold the powers of the elements in their hands," Tenku guessed. The Leatherheads nodded in response. "Go figure. Jenga's been studying it just like us." Still, the Cardz wouldn't let this intimidate them. Each took on the element he or she claimed to relate to most, giving Pokéskid an uneven fight on her hands. No Leatherhead spoke a word throughout as both sides were evenly matched.

"Fiery card! Thunder card! Sand card!" No matter what Captor Corporal threw out, the Air Leatherhead merely blew it away using its air-empowered ax. At least the Hispanic hero couldn't be taken by his own stuff. "Oldest trick in the book, pink! Windy card!"

"Dodon Ray! Masenko!" The Fire Leatherhead burned all of Tenku's attacks to white ash like dead plant matter. More shocking, she actually got singed by all of this. "Ouch! I must warn you, buddy, it ain't wise to play with fire!" The Leatherhead ignored her and continued its pyrogenic bombardment. "That does it! Final Flash!" Now these two became evenly matched.

"Lightning Javelin! Super Shocker!" Digiball knew darn well that water conducts electricity, hence why she retaliated at the Water Leatherhead with electric attacks. Jenga must've seen this coming, because that strategy hadn't any effect on the Russian warrior's hydric opponent. Torrent after torrent from the Leatherhead's hatchet would've dented adamantine steel. But this didn't last once Digiball followed suit with Captor Corporal and countered her own waterspout above the enemy's head. "Aqua Tower!"

"Call of the Haunted!" Just as the Life Leatherhead hit Duel Dune head on, she dissolved into thin air only to reconstitute and increase her attack power dramatically. As the Leatherhead never watched television, it did a double take and looked on in a confused manner. Blasting Duel Dune again . After doing this three more times, the Leatherhead stared down at its hatchet and shook it a bit. That's when the Chinese girl made her move. "My turn!" She unleashed a blow of zombie breath upon the Leatherhead, causing it and its hatchet to slightly corrode. After the breath passed on, the green-eyed soldier examined and slightly jolted at the damage, only to go into a fit and attack with another life force blast. However, Duel Dune remained as prepared as ever and gave off more zombie breath.

"Muddy Water! Ice Ball! Charge!" Unfortunately, Pokéskid's attacks would take quite a long time to affect the Land and Light Leatherheads because one always looked out for the other, or both combined their powers into a single counter beam. "This'll be quite a race. Substitute!" Pokéskid split into two to increase her fighting chance even though it cut her power in half. It worked pretty well, and when the Leatherheads united powers again, the Pokéskid clones copied it. "Mud Shot! Extrasensory!" That's what it all came down to. The Cardz and the elemental Leatherheads had each other right where they wanted them. Five explosions suddenly threw only the heroes for a loop.

"Whoa, what a rush," a recovering Tenku said. When the dust cleared, the Leatherheads were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, where'd they go?" Digiball asked.

"Keep your eyes peeled, team," Pokéskid commanded, "Those creeps could be anywhere. Even right beneath us."

"I don't think so," Duel Dune said, "What's that over the buildings?" At those words, a flash of rainbow power rained down upon Chicago, causing a new mess. No element alone could cause more damage than all six combined.

"Hoo-ee," Captor Corporal puffed, "How do we propose to stop that?"

"Do whatever it takes," Pokéskid answered, "We protect the people; we cannot allow the forces of evil to succeed." In a mad dash, the Cardz flew back to the city just in time to tame a colorful hurricane. The Leatherheads floated down from the sky and changed their minds again, attacking the heroes once more using the previous multicolor blast. "Absorb!" Vacuuming up the energy only sent the Cardz into a brick wall and some trash. The Leatherheads ran up to them and made a finger gesture to say no.

"I guess that means we can't absorb the blasts," Digiball said. Six nods yes preceded a rainbow levitation. Levitating them, a sweep of the Leatherheads' arms tossed the heroes all the way down the main road before urban destruction resumed.

"Ugh," Duel Dune said, "I've had all I can take of elements today."

"Indeed," Tenku agreed, "If we can't absorb those energies, and those rascals shrug off everything we throw, how'll we take 'em down?"

"Ah, but you can absorb those energies," came Kensho's voice. It turns out the team had landed right in front of their senseis but paid no attention to the sight. It took a voice to get them aware.

"No we can't," Captor Corporal disagreed, "We've done all we can. We tried our own attacks, matched power for power, and even absorption. Jenga's outmatched us this time." The girls nodded in agreement. Good thing no snoops lingered.

"We didn't train heroes like you for the purpose of quitting so soon," Akira reminded, "You may quit only when the job's done."

"But we tried it all," Digiball protested.

"Maybe not," Kensho said, "The elements can be absorbed no matter what. Some cases just require the offender to use their bodies as shields for the innocent. And it must occur simultaneously."

"Hmm," Tenku said, "In simple terms, we must put ourselves between elements and innocent people all when the enemies least expect it."

"If the shoe fits, wear it," Akira said, nodding.

"C'mon, team," Pokéskid called, "Let's get elemental!" Returning to the battle scene again, the Cardz weren't surprised to catch the Leatherheads attacking innocents for the third time today. Standing a few feet back, the preteen heroes waited for the right moment to make a move. "Steady now. Just focus... Now!" Ten seconds before the energy harmed more innocents, the Cardz shielded and took the blast for them. And just as their karate teachers predicted, that's when absorption did its work. The Leatherheads may have been empowered with the elements, but they still lacked in detecting lightning-quick movements. Neither Jenga nor Wave saw this coming!

"It's working!" Duel Dune declared, "I feel it coursing through my arteries, veins, and capillaries!"

"And it won't stop there!" Digiball added. The Leatherheads realized what was going on and stopped shooting. None believed their eyes seeing each hero's body glowed in a colorful array.

"Bet you didn't see this coming," Captor Corporal retorted, "Gotta give you credit for attacking innocent bystanders. Not." Again, the Cardz faced their respective opponents in a battle of equals. The Leatherheads stood on the shallow end of the pool this time getting back their own medicine. For example, if Duel Dune used Ultimate Battle Fist, her hand furiously glowed in a rainbow. And if Tenku used the Kamehameha Wave, it too came multicolored. Neither fire nor water nor air nor life was singled out. Not even the joint efforts of the Light and Land Leatherheads stood a chance against Pokéskid; she used all six elements while they were only two. Before long, the Leatherheads decided that if the Cardz could attack with all six at once, why not them? All weapons together shot their final blast.

"Counterattack!" Pokéskid ordered, and the Cardz did the same. Would the Leatherheads hold out long enough to defeat Chicago's heroes? Of course not! Their fusion effort paled against a five-to-one deal. Even so, the monsters refused to let their mistresses down. Upon a sixth assault, the Cardz simply swam through the energy and touched their fists down on the hatchets, shattering them. With the weapons gone, the Leatherheads lost their unique powers and reverted back to normal in contrast to how the Cardz retained the elemental oomph.

"They're weak, and we're still strong," Digiball noted, "You know what that means!" The heroes unleashed those powers one last time for the purpose of destroying the Leatherheads who would've screamed in agony had they any voices. After their destruction, the transformed kids regrouped and congratulated themselves for a job well done.

"What a battle," Tenku commented, "If this were a fast-food joint, I'd never wanna order from it again."

"I'm amazed nobody overheard us and the shop owners earlier," Captor Corporal pointed out.

"I wouldn't either if I was busy screaming for my life," Digiball reasoned, "Monsters have that effect."

"As I said before, I've had enough of the elements for one day," Duel Dune repeated.

"Now the only question remaining is why they continue to reside in us," Pokéskid added. As if someone heard her, the powers left their bodies and spread throughout repairing the damage and leaving no trace of themselves behind.

"Well, that takes care of that," Captor Corporal said.

Later that day, while walking back to Polk St., the kids stayed silent of the experience toward even each other. It had been a long day for them, and it took Akira and Kensho's presence to spark talking. For at that moment, both sides stared face to face. "Wow, you sure enjoy popping up wherever you wish," Yuri commented.

"Yep," Kensho said, "That's just us for you."

"Anyone tell you two how cute a couple you make?" Tabitha complimented. The adults smiled.

"Yeah, we felt the same way," Akira agreed.

"Is that what you two hid from us this whole time?" Dana asked, and the adults nodded.

"That's okay," Laurel said, "We don't mind." And with that, both groups took it as was and continued their separate ways.

The End


	15. 25: Fighting A Mirror

A genius is born every minute, yes indeed. Biologists have classified more than 250 kinds of animals. Astronomers have identified the orbits of countless stars and other heavenly bodies. Classification can seriously show up when one least expects it. That very moment at the Rebao residence, Tabitha and her friends made light of a system they recently came up with themselves. They educated the adults about the world of doppelgangers, complete with pictured and labeled charts. "We're glad you could join us today for this presentation," Yuri started, "Over the past few days, my associates and I have classified up to seven types of people who resemble others, codenamed doppelgangers." Dana held up the first chart: an image of two indistinguishable people. The label was written large and in bold print at the very bottom.

"Here's the first type," Laurel explained, "We call it _Effingo_ _idem_, or the Identical. Basically, it's the kind that resembles someone in virtually every manner: voice, personality, behaviors, etc. This is the most basic type of doppelganger."

Zenith held up the next chart, an image of a person and a machine look-alike. "This is the next type. It's labeled _Effingo_ _apparatus_, the Synthetic. Be it android or cyborg, it's someone's mechanical copy."

Tabitha came third as she introduced a chart of stick figures each wearing a bow. One had its bow under the chin, the other on its head. "And here we have the Fraternal, _Effingo_ _puer_ _puella_. It's a twin the opposite gender of another person. Say it's a girl, for example. That means the copy will be a boy. And vice versa."

Yuri continued the presentation with a chart of someone looking in a reflective surface. "_Effingo_ _speculum econtra_, the Mirror doppelganger. This one exhibits opposite personality and behaviors from whom they're taking after. It's like someone who got hit hard on the head and suffered a complete 180º personality change. That's the Mirror for you."

Laurel brought up the fifth, which showed a comic book superhero and a supervillain with a striking resemblance. "The Twisted, or _Effingo_ _prosum_ _malum_. As you can plainly see, this is where the concepts of good and evil come into play. In simple terms, someone who is good has an evil twin, and someone who's evil has a good twin."

Not content with staying silent the whole time, Dana informed the adults about the sixth type. Yet another chart, bearing a person whose copy exhibited inversed colors, was brought up for display. "We call this one _Effingo_ _infucatus_, the Rainbow. It's a copy with different skin and/or hair color. Actually, that's all there is to say about it."

To conclude it all, Zenith displayed the final chart. It presented a camcorder and a projection image of a person. "The Illusion, _Effingo_ _phasmatis_. Self-explanatory, if you will. It's a ghosted image, or phantom, of an individual. When encountering this type, many get easily fooled upon first impression. After all, why else would we call it the Illusion? And that concludes our presentation. Any questions?"

"I do," Ashton piped up, "Where did you kids come up with such creative scientific names? And what do they mean?"

"Latin terms," Tabitha answered, "For example, 'Effingo' means 'copy' in Latin. 'Puer' means 'boy', and 'puella' means 'girl'. And so on."

"Wonderful," Chelsea complimented, "Y'know, you kids should introduce this discovery to Bertram Lab or somewhere. Who knows, you might even be a shoe-in to win a Nobel Prize!"

"Hold on, Chelsea," Triolo countered, "I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but I think they might just give a 20-dollar gift certificate or something. The chances of kids winning something big are relatively small."

"If you ask me, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if those brats won a trophy for their so-called classification system," Wave commented, "Little kids are getting smarter all the time." Distracted by thoughts of doppelgangers, no one in the house noticed the former Sanfords standing outside and eavesdropping on the conversation. Fortunately, neither Jenga nor Wave had mind-reading powers, so they couldn't discover the Cardz' identities (though the latter was a bit suspicious). They practically stared at those kids having no idea whom they really were!

"Indeed. In fact, this whole business of copies gives me an idea." Walking back onto the pavement both invisible as ever, Jenga turned back into a bus for Wave to climb inside of for the umpteenth time. The barriers now inhibited not just their physical selves but also sounds. Wave channel-surfed on a TV built into her mother's interior.

"It's a good thing you got television installed in here. Otherwise, I'd be bored out of my skull."

"You picked a fine time to watch TV, young lady. Can't you think of anything else better to do?"

"Let's face it, Mom: TV always seems to give us good ideas. An idea might hit me any second now." As she spoke, Wave soon came across one of the more peculiar channels. Instead of the usual movies and such, this one displayed the Cardz' past battles. Did those five have their own 24-hour daytime/nighttime show or something? "Uh, Mom? There's something funny about this 'Channel 986'. You have a dimensional portal showing what happened in the past?"

"Something like that," came the reply, "Channel 986 is actually my memory banks. Indeed, I've managed to capture every single one of those heroes' battles with everything we've thrown at them so far."

Wave continued staring ahead, shaking her head every now and then. Only repetition poured on: sending out a monster to cause destruction, allowing the Cardz to fight it, and their victory in the end. "How pathetic. Every time we send a monster out into the streets, the Cardz always manage to bring him or her down. Why can't we win?"

"It's a good thing I and now my barriers are soundproof, or our cover would be blown. And I've already told you why, so I'm not telling you again. I hate that much repetition." Then Jenga paused for a short moment. "You know, I think you may be on to something again. Fill my hollow interior with your gas immediately."

"What for?"

"I'll pump it out of my exhaust pipe with my own gas, creating a parcel of Leatherheads. That'll give the Cardz a little message."

"And what'll that do?"

"You'll find out in due time. Now breathe away!" Wave shrugged and followed as requested. That done, Jenga happened by a vent as she sped off in a giant cloud of methane. The single, large cloud split into smaller ones that materialized into more Leatherheads. It just so happened the kids strolled from a block away after giving their presentation. After all, they didn't wish to spend the entire day inside.

"I completely forgot a detail to our presentation," Dana said, "Combination doppelgangers."

"Oh yeah," Laurel said, snapping her fingers, "It slipped my mind, too."

"Aunt Chelsea brought up an interesting ordeal," Tabitha noted, "What if we presented our classification system to higher minds?"

"It'd give aspiring science fiction writers something major to think about," Zenith answered, "When you think about of it, our system only applies to the imaginary. It wouldn't be of much help to the actual scientific community." Suddenly, screaming people fled towards them.

"Get outta the way!" Yuri exclaimed, and the group slipped to thick brush. After the crowd passed on, the kids scooted back out and looked both ways. They already knew what this and the usual noises meant.

"Well, it's that time again," Laurel said, "Jenga and Wave are cruisin' for a bruisin' once more." So the group went back behind the brush to transform without fear of prying eyes. Down at the damage scene, the Leatherheads continued laying waste to the street, not stopping for even a minute. But when the Cardz appeared, out came major determination.

"No need to tell us," Duel Dune said, "We always do it the hard way."

"It matters not," a Leatherhead piped up, "We expected you this time."

"And you also expected this!" Captor Corporal shot out, "Snow card!" As the fight pressed on, only the Leatherheads considered it a repeat of the Virucide incident in that each hero fought eight at once. Even stranger, the latter exhibited symptoms that hindered progress.

"I said it before, I'll...say it again: You...whackos just can't...take a hint!" Tenku puffed. Come one near-collapse, a Leatherhead swooped in and grabbed a hair off her head, confusing her. "What was that...all about?"

"Kunai With Chain!" Duel Dune's attacks didn't get rid of her opponents just yet. But in a flash of déjà vu, the Leatherheads bunched up around her and stole another piece of hair. It barely stung her scalp but bothered her less than the convulsions. "What's my...problem? Why'dja do that?" Digiball, Captor Corporal, and Pokéskid paid the same ordeal little attention and continued fighting. In fact, by withdrawing hairs, the Leatherheads somehow cured the symptoms. Why this at all? Why not just kick the heroes while they were down? Outside the battle zone, all five culprits gathered together; four gave their samples to one.

"Alright," another instructed, "We got what we came for. Bring those samples to General Jenga and Major Wave. We'll cover for you."

"I'm on it!"

Back inside the fight, the Cardz were ready to end this stance. "Alright!" Pokéskid announced, "We finish now! Hyper Beam!"

"Masenko!"

"Giga Blaster!" As the other Leatherheads used their bodies as one gigantic shield, the deliverer jumped into the sewers narrowly escaping destruction. He also put the cover back on just as hastily.

"Well, that's that," Duel Dune commented, "Jenga and Wave are at it again."

"What happened here?" Tenku wondered, "Anyone other than me feel a railroad train kicking inside?"

"**I** felt it this morning," Digiball recalled, "Back pains, stomach pains, headaches... like another virus infected us all."

"No fooling," Captor Corporal agreed, "And it left when the opposition plucked our heads. Whaddaya suppose?"

"I'm not sure about the hair bit," Pokéskid said, "As for our convulsions, I'm guessing all this cloning has finally caught up on us. Technology, superpowers, or what, it's still an imperfect process."

"But that's how we keep our secret safe," Duel Dune protested, "How else can we?"

"Just let it go," the leader continued, "Our work's done for the time being. Time for rest."

After hours of constant trudging through the disgusting sewer pipelines, the lone Leatherhead made it back to Mannheim Rd. Popping up from a hidden hole, he slunk along buildings and otherwise carefully arrived at the hideout. He walked inside to make his patient superiors' acquaintances. "Did you obtain the DNA samples?" Jenga questioned.

"As you commanded, general." She accepted the hairs while the Leatherhead retreated to the upper floor. Wave and Jenga observed the hairs on the floor once the latter dropped them in room's center.

"Huh. Five hairs for the price of one. What next, Mom?"

"Countless fools have failed trying to create the perfect clone because they never had superpowers. Brace yourself, Wave. You and I are making history." A chain reaction from absorbing the pair's gases burned deep within the hairs. Like earthworms, the hairs wiggled around quite a bit and produced cells quicker than a charging zebra. If either criminal ever saw the Dragonball Z movie Super Deciding Battle For The Entire Planet Earth, they might've imitated Laurel and compared a microscopic view of such to Tullece's stolen seed expanding in a mess of roots. Wave was shocked at the sight when the process stopped, but Jenga remained calm and pleased.

"I can't believe it! We did make history!" As expected, clones of none other than the Cardz stood born in the room. Four wore the same clothing as the heroes but with inversed colors. The Duel Dune clone expressed a brass-colored dress and white jewelry. Tenku's twin may as well have confused herself with Vegetto since both wore outfits of inversed orange and blue. The opposite of Captor Corporal sported a beige hat, orange and beige shirt, black and red chest symbol, beige moccasins, dark-gray pants, and a beige mouth mask. Pokéskid's counterpart had on the same shades but was clad in a green jacket t-shirt, periwinkle bandanna, dark-beige sleeveless shirt, black shoes, and socks alternating in light and dark shades of blue. Only the Digiball doppelganger stood out: NeoDevimon mask; LadyDevimon chains and puppet; black sandals with purple straps; and a Doumon outfit.

Of course, the hair colors and distinct voices remained the same way. As their eyes glowed an eerie red-orange, these clones bore motionless facial expressions but gave Wave and Jenga unquestionable loyalty. "So good of you to join my daughter and me today. Now, what shall I call you?" Being the leader and all, the Pokéskid copy was predictably first to respond.

"My name is Pokéslash. I'll slice and dice my opponents up like never before should they stray too near."

"I'm Digiraze. Mess with me, and you won't hear the end of it."

"Call me Duel Damage. I rule the sands and pyramids of Egypt and the forests of China with an iron fist, I do."

"My name's Majinku. Just try not to wear it out."

"And I'm Captor Slayer."

"And the five of us are the Woundz," Pokéslash concluded, "That's 'wounds' spelled with a 'z'. So, how may we serve our mistresses?"

"I'm glad you asked," Jenga said, "How much you wanna mix it up out in the real world?"

"As much as can fit in a 50-mile radius, maybe larger," Majinku answered, "Why?"

At that question, Wave interceded with some influence of her own. "You five could use only the best opponents to take on, ones seated on the mantle of justice! Ones that fight harder than anyone else yet could never ever possibly destroy you!"

"We're listening," Digiraze said.

"Go play," Jenga finished, "And if you find your twins the Cardz, do what you wish!"

"Aye aye, captain!" the Woundz acknowledged. They teleported out in an instant, ready to injure.

Meanwhile the real kids themselves remained unaware as they paced up and down 12th St. Beach. Being here brought back normal and abnormal memories alike. Walking along the snowy sand reminisced of the meteor that plunged into Lake Michigan the one night, the resulting monster, and a swimming occasion during current school year not long before the end of September. Though, having Leatherheads fight them a short time today only to steal hair samples hung on their minds as a bat to a cave. Plus, what of the Jenga and Wave's latest presentation. Oh, but the answer wasn't due just yet. "Jenga and Wave sure are nice for major criminals," Dana commented, "No monster yet?"

"Here's a better question: Why don't they just stop fooling around and work together against us physically?" Tabitha added.

"You really shouldn't answer someone's question with another," Yuri reminded, "Too much confusion."

"And we still can't tell what those Leatherheads wanted with our hair," Laurel chimed, "Neither Jenga nor Wave want to open a hair salon, that's for sure. " The four then noticed a distraught look in their leader's eyes. "Hey, Z. What's your deal?"

Zenith snapped out of her trance. "If you must know, I keep thinking about that one lesson our karate teachers taught us between the time we fought those elemental Leatherheads and the day they left for Japan. You know, about defeating enemies without force?"

"Huh," Yuri started up, "Up until now, I never gave it much thought. I just can't imagine battling a monster without throwing in at least one punch or kick. Or a nice round from Aldamon."

"Oh, and as for your concern about the latest monster, we'll find out sooner than we realize," Zenith quickly added. While the kids stayed distracted with these thoughts to bother looking anywhere else, trouble quietly brewed a mile up. The Woundz orbited close together, scouring the city and formulating an attack plan at the same time.

"This is taking too long," Captor Slayer complained, "When're we gonna attack?"

"Quit squawking," Pokéslash snarled, "When I want your input, I'll ask for it. Anyway, I found something interesting."

"Where?" Digiraze asked.

"I see 'em too!" Duel Damage chimed, "On that beach!" With no further hesitation, the Woundz imitated the same kind of arrow-shaped position as south-going ducks and zoomed straight down. Laurel beat Zenith to the punch in feeling a disturbance first.

"Say, do the rest of you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Yuri asked.

"Hey, I see something coming our way!" Tabitha announced, pointing to the sky. From a ground-level point of view, the Woundz appeared as a black boomerang shape. Although they sensed sudden danger, the good ones stayed clueless about newfound enemies.

"Amazing!" Dana declared, "I'm reliving the night before Rockskull's creation!"

"And it's coming our way!" Zenith cried. The group only ran seven large steps before an impact sent them sprawling clear into heavy foliage in Grant Park. With no innocent or guilty observers, they took advantage of this camouflage in order to transform and then contemplate the new situation out in the open.

"What happened?" Tenku wondered.

"THIS!" Majinku abruptly screamed. Before anyone knew it, the Woundz administered a merciless beating all the way back to the beach where the bad ones spun around quicker than a blender. After that, they spun quicker than a blender and tossed the Cardz hard into Lake Michigan. Things looked grim for the heroes as they drifted six miles deep below sea level, unconscious. But hope soon shined through once their favorite cards took control of the situation and broke out healing aides.

A shadow of Furuura (the same girl from Revelation Lugia) took the Lugia flute and tooted away, bringing Pokéskid back to full health. Shadows of Taichi Yagami and Yamato Ishida shined their digivices upon Digiball for the same purpose, just as they did on a Devimon-corrupted Leomon. The Millennium Symbol on Duel Dune's chest glowed furiously. A shadow of Dende worked its healing powers on Tenku. And shadows of Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li used wand and sword with various Clow cards to restore Captor Corporal's vigor. After the healing process, the aides disappeared while the Cardz awoke.

Back on the beach, the Woundz waited both patiently and impatiently. "I say they're dead, or they would've shown their stupid faces by now," Digiraze assumed, "Let's go have some fun."

"Aren't we quick to make assumptions," Pokéslash retorted, "As leader, it's my decree they'll retaliate any given second now." As if they heard her, the Cardz appeared right in front of the Woundz ready to battle. Meeting their doubles didn't surprise them much.

"You got that right," Duel Dune shot out, "Who do you phonies think you are?"

"You may call us the Woundz," Duel Damage replied, "And I'm Duel Damage, the counterpart you're looking for. These are my pals Digiraze, Captor Slayer, Pokéslash, and Majinku."

"We're chips off the old heads," Majinku threw in, pointing to her own.

"Explains what those stupid Leatherheads were up to earlier," Digiball said, not surprised in the least.

"And under command of General Jenga and Major Wave, we're here to wipe the floor with you wimps," Captor Slayer concluded. And all faced off against their respective copies. Naturally, everyone found plenty to discuss while trading blows.

"You're pretty good," Pokéskid commented, "But not good enough."

"You won't be saying that once my team and I eradicate you and your goody-goody friends," Pokéslash shot back.

"My dignity has officially walked out the door!" Digiball declared, "Jenga and Wave obviously snooped on us while we gave that presentation on doppelgangers!"

"Too bad, so sad," Digiraze retorted, "You can kiss your dignity goodbye, flathead."

"You call yourself a duelist, ha!" Duel Dune said, "There's no room in this world for fakers like you and your friends!"

"Too bad you won't live to see it," Duel Damage replied calmly.

"You're quite smooth for some joker who thinks she's me!" Tenku said.

"I think you got it switched around," Majinku answered, "When me and my main pals take you down, you'll be nothing but faded stupidity."

"I hate imposters!" Captor Corporal said, "You piles of waste don't deserve your powers, much less to exist!"

"Look who's talking," Captor Slayer replied, "You copied your favorite shows first." As the intensifying fight progressed, no one who existed nearby could tell who'd emerge victorious between blasts and touches.

"Special Beam Cannon!"

"Horn Attack!"

"Windy card!"

"Chrono Paradox!"

"Ice Ball!"

"Sword Of Deep-Seated!"

"Hand Of Fate!"

"Kamehameha!"

"Shot card!"

"Noxious Nostril Gust!" No innocents were hurt since the commotion took place sky-high and away from busy airline businesses, but neither side gained the upper hand. This couldn't last much longer until both sides regrouped temporarily.

"This is getting us nowhere," Digiball said, "They're matching our every move. We'd hafta exchange powers in order to take them out."

"Tell me about it," Tenku agreed, "No questions asked, we're battling mirrors here. We got ourselves a no-win situation."

"In simple terms, we're winning," Pokéslash translated.

Alas, it seemed hopeless for truth and justice alike. Wasn't there any solution whatsoever? To make it worse, the Cardz felt something like a headache coming on. "My head hurts, and it wasn't them," Digiball muttered.

"Don't let 'em see yer pain," Pokéskid instructed. A second round ended with the Cardz nearly falling out. Both sides withdrew from the constant assaults long enough to catch their breath.

"You fools got a last request before we finish you?" Pokéslash said.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Duel Dune bluffed, "Like Digiball said, we're going us nowhere. We're back to where we started."

Neither the Woundz nor the Cardz denied this. "I hate to say it, but that little onionhead is right," Majinku said.

"Alright then," Digiraze said, "What did you morons have in mind?"

"I know just the thing. Bet my other self saw it coming." She faced Duel Damage for a new argument. "What say the two of us play a good round of Duel Monsters? We are duelists, and that's what the show's about overall."

"Why should I play some stupid card game when I can use these powers for real and turn you into a mess of broken bones?"

"Gimme a break. You're just saying that because you're too scared to try something new."

"Oh, yeah? You want a piece of me, punk?"

"Oh, just shut up and duel already," Captor Slayer put in, "It's not like we have all day."

"Then it's agreed," Captor Corporal abruptly decided, "We'll settle this through a duel courtesy of you two." Neither girl required Duel Disks, as they simply made cards appear in front of themselves and in their hands.

"I'll go first," Duel Damage announced, "First off, I'll lay one card face down." At her command, a single card appeared so that people below saw what it was by bending over backwards. "That ends my turn."

"My turn! I play Magical Hats, Mystical Box, and Polymerization!"

Duel Damage blinked twice at the name 'Polymerization'. Was her twin insane? With no monsters on the field, how could she use that card? "What? That can't be right! You don't even have any monsters to fuse!"

"Who said I'm fusing monsters?" As Duel Dune spoke, the Hats and Box became one and the same. Five boxes stood on the invisible playing field, question marks and a checkerboard design imprinted on the front. "Say hello to my Riddle Crates!"

"Impossible! You can only fuse monsters, not spells!"

Duel Dune ignored her and pressed on. "For my final trick, I place myself and my teammates inside the boxes!" As that happened, the boxes' doors closed on the Cardz and sealed them inside as swords pierced. The Woundz blinked in amazement, or did they? It's true what they say: A magician never reveals his or her secrets. Soon the Cardz floated outside in seconds flat unharmed. But whatever became of the Woundz? It seemed a most horrible fate claimed them, trapped inside the Riddle Crates victim to the swords. The containers crumbled like any Duel Monster into a million pieces and dissolved into thin air, taking the fakers with them.

"What an experience," Tenku commented, "Let's go home."

"Leaving so soon?" came Pokéslash's voice, "We wouldn't hear of it." In seconds flat, the Woundz rematerialized back on the battlefield. Shocked and dismayed, the Cardz ingested this bad news the best they could. How did this happen? Didn't they just see their bad twins impaled by swords? What unforeseen mistake did Duel Dune unwittingly carry out? Facing an equally powerful force of evil to them, even Pokéskid was officially out of ideas.

"So tell us, didja seriously think that'd stop us so soon?" Majinku questioned, "We expected better."

"Forget my face-down card?" Duel Damage added as a projection of just that appeared before crumbling, "Mirage Ruler. Activates when all my monsters – in this case, my teammates and I – get destroyed in one turn and revives 'em. Not that it matters, but it also restores lost life points in a duel. You ain't the only one who can break a few rules." While the Woundz supercharged up close, the Cardz collapsed before the bad ones' feet when dementia took over. Throughout that and blinded rage, the rest of the world around all ten distorted in flashes of blue and green. Had this been on live television, it was a struggle reserved exclusively for equivalents.

When everything regained definite shape, who else stood in place of the Cardz but the original kids themselves no longer afflicted. The surroundings now appeared as a green meadow entirely bordered by a forest. Spring must've come early if not a single snowflake dotted the landscape thanks to the sudden warm weather. And for another enjoyable surprise, the kids also found themselves back in the same casual outfits they wore at the beginning of the school year before the cold weather hit. No more dementia, either. "Nice place," Tabitha commented.

"Huh," Yuri noted, observing herself, "Just like the second season of Digimon. It actually feels good to be back in my regular outfit again."

"Same here," Dana agreed.

"Weird," Laurel put in, "First we collapse, and now this. What happened?"

"The Woundz gave it their all," Zenith observed, "They must be connected to us more than we thought."

"What're you getting at?" Yuri asked.

"Neither brute force nor sly tricks will help. Maybe it's time we implied in this skirmish that one lesson I mentioned earlier. We should fight without force and get 'em back where they belong, or else brain damage will claim us all." The others considered the scary thought, not knowing how to respond. But a voice from a hill in the distance ahead quickly pushed the incident along.

"Hey!" came the voice belonging to Captor Slayer, "While we're still young!" Eager to put their plan into action, the kids snapped out of their train of thought and immediately rushed up the hill. A sight of the de-transformed Woundz at the top dissolved any possible question as to whether or not the bad kids were also able to assume regular identities. But continually bearing clothes of inversed colors easily distinguished who was who. Alongside the same footwear and sleeveless shirt as before, the evil Zenith also wore green pants. The anti-Yuri now followed the pattern clad in a green bow, yellow sweater, pink shorts, dark-gray socks, and light-yellow slip-ons. Tabitha's counterpart exhibited a red jumper, white beads to keep the pigtails in place, and a t-shirt, socks, and tennis shoes all colored of light-blue. The dark Laurel sported a yellow headband, blue t-shirt, an orange skirt with red polka dots, pink socks, and light-blue tennis shoes. As for Dana's twin, he had on a long-sleeved black-and-white-striped shirt, purple cutoff overalls, blue socks, and purple tennis shoes. Digesting this bizarre concept of switcheroo may as well have given the good kids a headache while admiring this display at the same time.

"Oh, I'm just about sick of this," Tabitha said, "Then again, a red jumper is unquestionably something to think about."

"Yeah," Yuri agreed, "How come **I** didn't think of this?"

"We didn't call you up here for some stupid fashion show," the evil Yuri retorted.

"I never would've guessed this development in a million years," Dana said, "I don't suppose you take on our same names, do ya?"

"Hardly," the evil Zenith huffed, "But I guess just to avoid confusion, time for more introductions. I am Zephyr, a.k.a. Pokéslash. That's Yolanda, Tohru, Lucille, and Dorado, respectively Digiraze, Duel Damage, Majinku, and Captor Slayer."

"No last names, either," Dorado put in, "You don't hafta tell us your names, 'cause we already know."

"How?" Tabitha questioned.

"Dumb as usual," Tohru smarted, "We're your counterparts, and therefore, we have the same memories as you. We're smarter, quicker, stronger, and more powerful than you rejects any day."

"Oh no," Yuri realized, ignoring the smart remarks, "That means we're really in for it. Looks like Jenga and Wave will track down our families and use them against us."

"No quite," Yolanda added, "Fortunately for you, they can't see, hear, or even smell anything going on right here right now."

"Hello-ooo," Zephyr spoke, "Are we gonna talk all day or finish these wimps off?" She focused on the good kids, ready to conclude it all. "You can't beat us, period. If you call it quits now, we promise you a painless demise."

"Really?" Laurel said, "And what happens if we don't feel like fighting?"

"Ain't gonna work that way," Lucille responded, "You'll fight us even if it takes twenty years."

"Well, forget it," Zenith threw out, "We're not gonna fight you, and that's final." But as the group trudged away, the evil ones tackled and headlocked them as all ten went rolling downhill. Reaching the bottom, the bad kids pummeled the good kids for at least a minute before taking a break. Even though both sides suffered a fair share of nothing more than hefty bruises, the latter group just barely stood up and resisted any urges to hit back. It obviously made their twins impatient.

"Suck it up and fight us, you wussies!" Dorado screamed.

"We said no!" Tabitha shot back. Shaking their heads in exasperation, the bad kids gathered up every single bit of rage contained from deep down inside and immediately marched forward. The good kids still attempted not to stand their ground and instead continued staring on feeling determined. But just when Zephyr's group made one last step, that one twist came through for the heroes the moment the former suddenly froze in place. Covered in a red electrical aura, the unconscious yet awake villains didn't comprehend a thing as the shocked looks on their faces plainly told. The nodding heroes carried it further and hugged their respective physical correspondents. A mental implosion dotted the fake landscape before both sides found themselves back in reality once again, transformed back into the Cardz and Woundz. Staring face to face, the latter group's eyes glowed red-orange one more time before each individual member turned a pitch-black and harmlessly crumbled into dust to blow away. The former group then stretched out to relieve themselves of mental fatigue.

"Well," Digiball commented, "Talk about anti-climactic."

"You said it," Captor Corporal agreed, "No dementia, aches, nothing. Let's go home."

Back at Mannheim Rd., Jenga and Wave knew not what to make of the absurd situation. As Yolanda/Digiraze said, the criminal mother/daughter couple never caught so much as a sliver of the true action. Only able to see things outside, a fog too thick to step through had covered the Cardz and Woundz. Again, only Wave wasn't pleased at the sight. It all felt as if it barely even lasted half an hour! "Aw! That was quick." Then Wave jolted, having realized an overlooked factor in the matter. "Oh, Mom! We're such saps!"

"Beg your pardon?"

"Don't you get it? We should've had our clones de-transform so we'd know the Cardz' true identities! Then we could hunt 'em down and kill them in one fell swoop!" Needless to say, Jenga wasn't the type of person to repeat a scheme, so it mattered less to her.

"It's of no consequence. After we reach our potential, the Cardz are as good as dead either way. You still got their voices, right?"

"Well...yes. Recorded in my memory banks."

"Then what're you getting nervous about?" And the rest of that day was history.

The End


	16. 26: Bad Weather

Winter winds continued to ravage Chicago with all their might. But the people living there considered it no consequence because warm and pleasant weather stood just around the corner. Spring was not many days away from now. Nevertheless, lying on the Great Lakes Plains section of Illinois made Chicago susceptible to tornadoes and other flatland disasters. Apparently, this would be one time March went in and came out fierce. The winds grew more and more violent with each passing day and showed no signs of calming. Little by little, stores and houses closed earlier than the day before. Why, even the crime rate slowed to a snail's pace. It didn't take a genius to tell what nature had in store for this city. At 9th Street Elementary, students caught on to watching the news in multiple ways.

"It's the same thing over again, as usual," came the report, "These closed stores are a continual result of the soon-to-be devastating winds running loose here. Not to suggest anything, but it reminds me of constant monster assaults we've seen within the past months."

"Go figure," Dana commented, "How else can anyone explain it? May as well be a monster assault, same ferocity and all."

"That's just the way nature works," Tabitha said, "Sometimes it can be calm and willing, other times a ticking time bomb."

"Couldn't've said it better," Zenith agreed, "You sure have a way with words, Tabitha."

"Thanks, Zenith."

"Hate to go off-topic, but I forgot something," Laurel mentioned, "How long have our karate teachers been on vacation?"

"Well, they left several weeks ago," Zenith continued, "I estimate they'll return home not too long after Spring Break. Estimate, now."

"They haven't been gone that long, but it sure feels that way," Dana added.

"Back to present matters," Yuri reminded, "With all this atmospheric craziness, the school board may as well let us out early. And when I say 'atmospheric', I'm talking in meteorological terms. Do you think they will end school early?"

"Attention, students," came a voice over the loudspeaker, "Due to harsh weather conditions, we're cutting this day short. No buses will be in service today. And we've already called you're parents, so they're on their way as we speak."

"Looks like they just heard ya," Laurel affirmed.

As promised, all parents picked up their kids instead of letting them ride any other available transportation or simply walk. No matter how short the distance, popular thought deemed that offspring wouldn't last two seconds in weather such as this. The Maize clan especially knew the potential danger. "I don't like this weather one bit," Andrea commented, "If it keeps up, it'll send this entire burg to kingdom come."

"Tell me about it," Scott agreed, "I myself certainly can't wait for warmer weather."

"And that feeling's mutual," Laurel finished, "We've been in the cold for too long. Where's the sun when you need it?" On the way home, she stared out at the window watching pine needles and tiny twigs fly around. The Kenyan girl bet a few million bucks that if she secretly went out to fight a monster, her parents might suspect something. After all, what parents would allow their kids to lollygag in violent weather? Not to mention a month's worth of worry and grounding. Cloning was pretty risky now considering the group's last experience.

Daytime passed everyone by without a care as light hours heralded darkness. Yet as this poured into the streets like oil leaking out of a damaged transport, the winds continued their rampage. It turned even the bravest of Jenga's associates into scared puppies looking for any available refuge. However, anyone else was wrong in assuming the weather might prove too much for even Jenga and Wave, if such assumptions existed at all. Over in that same old abandoned apartment building on Mannheim Rd., the criminal family of two felt nature's constant rage as well. A few shingles hadn't much time before finally coming loose. On the inside, the building was so old that the middle-tone breezes felt like a 5 on the Richter scale. "Some weather we're having," Wave commented, staring out, "I'd be pretty surprised if it carried the city all the way to Jupiter. But that'd only occur with our turf broken into millions of glass and concrete pieces." It could take a few years or so for Wave to adjust if she managed to endure that long. Her mother Jenga's so-called decade-long residence in Chicago got her used to even the most extreme situations. So basically, the diamond monster merely saw this event as a video game suitable for all ages.

"How dull. I've seen scarier things in bad lungs."

Wave stared at her mother in stupor. Sure she'd been here longer, but why use it as an excuse for nonchalance? "Mom, you really know how to abuse your power. I'm sure even you can get scared sometimes."

"I wouldn't call it abuse. But don't get me wrong, I'm more of an understanding individual than most people realize or that I let on. You haven't been here long enough, so you wouldn't understand my composure."

"It won't matter if I stay here even ninety years, I'll never get used to any of this."

Jenga gulped down some coffee and stood up from the armchair on which she sat. It came that time once again to instill pain and suffering on Chicago's innocent population. She and Wave only required the harsh weather. "This is all better than you realize."

"I don't get it."

"Because you fail to see the potential in strong breezes. We need a monster you can go through physically, one made of complete and utter emptiness. Do you hear me? We need a monster made entirely of air!"

Wave thought a moment and stared back outside, grasping her mother's words. "Oh! How 'bout a tornado?"

"Now you're thinking like a true villain! It's time to bring that predicted storm to Chicago a few days before its stage debut!" Once the two's gas streams intertwined, Jenga opened the window a crack to let it slip outside. Upon exiting, the twine got utterly blown away, apparently dispersed by the breezes. But as always, the expectant Wave and Jenga knew better.

Unbeknownst to practically everyone else, the twine made a 7-hour long trip out of town before initiating the secret trouble. As the gusts constantly pounded, it wiggled and tightened itself harder than any known substance. Whatever 'injuries' the winds inflicted disappeared instantly. The next five gusts were absorbed and fused inside. The twisting continued until the twine could do no nmore. It created warm air to react with the surrounding cold air, thereby forming a front. In turn, this produced a violent, weather-related funnel with eerie eyes. The newly formed tornado patiently waited in silent for daybreak to arrive.

The following day saw the ticking time bomb Jenga and Wave 'kindly' prepared the night before. No destruction came just yet, but Chicago felt the winds rip it apart very slowly. In no time flat, police ordered all businesses closed and warned people to keep in their homes. "It's come at last, folks," came the early morning report, "I sure hope you have your basements prepared." All around the city, everyone met the reporter's expectations without question. Of course, those who hadn't any basements either left town until the storm blew over or hid in ditches or pits. This especially left the kids paralyzed.

"Um, I don't suppose I'll be able to call my friends for a simple chat, will I?" Yuri asked her parents.

"Don't see how, honey," Winter reasoned, "These winds will knock out entire power lines."

"What about a cellphone?"

"You could try mine, but I'm not sure the others have any themselves," Evan said. Back upstairs, even though they couldn't reach the basement, the winds' noises hit all present eardrums. "Yeesh. Just listen to that storm."

"No fooling," Winter agreed, "But as long as we keep down here and away from windows, we'll be fine."

For at least an hour, the Glinkas sat at the far end of the room closest to the stairs and without windows. Not long into the second hour, Yuri's eyes darted to the window for no apparent reason. She did a double take and peered again: Were those flashes of orange actually another's eyes? Unable to move much of anywhere, Yuri knew she must act quickly and make something up.

"Mom? Dad? May I use the bathroom a moment?" And as hoped, her parents bought it.

"By all means," Evan permitted, pointing to a closet-like enclosure under the stairs, "But hurry back. You never know what might come up next." Yuri quickly ran over and sat down, not making so much as a peep. After waiting about seven minutes, she pulled out her Betamon card and transformed into Digiball. Her parents outside noticed peculiar flashes from all sides of the door and so leapt up and knocked.

"Yuri, dear!" Winter called, "Is everything alright in there?" In response, what appeared to be Yuri opened the door and stepped back out. Evan and Winter breathed a sigh of relief.

"Nothing wrong here, Mom."

"Darling, what happened in there?" Evan asked.

"The light got a little bright in my eyes." The girl pretended to blink and rub her eyes as if she just stared at the sun. Little did the parents know that they were actually talking to a clone of their daughter, which the real one left behind before departure.

On the outside, Digiball held her outfit tightly through the gusts while searching high and low for the other Cardz. She hoped that she wasn't the only one who escaped with ease and risked cloning again. It didn't last long before the team reunited.

"You made it. That's good."

"Took me long enough, but it was worth it," Captor Corporal said, "Now this is pandemonium."

"Enough pandemonium to go mental again through clones," Duel Dune said, "Any of you notice something strange here?"

"Yep," Tenku answered, "One look from the basement window, and these funny orange eyes stared right back at me. Jenga and Wave tampered with the weather big time! This is no work of nature!"

"Inevitable even without their interference," Pokéskid added, "No Leatherheads needed this time."

"Y'know, Captor Corporal, you weren't far off when you called it a monster assault," Duel Dune commented, "They must've heard you."

And so the Cardz flew off in all directions. Most efforts composed of catching flying objects and preventing them from landing on cooped-up innocent bystanders. Plus, they kept their own eyes peeled searching for the same spooky orange eyes. However, whatever the criminal duo created remained one step ahead. The Cardz' search mission soon landed them back together at Buckingham Memorial.

"How'd we end up back here?" Tenku wondered.

"Good question," Digiball said, "Funny how we ended up in the spot where our superhero careers began. What a way to reminisce."

"But that's not the reason we snuck out," Pokéskid said, "We've got a phantom on our hands."

"Leave it to me!" Duel Dune volunteered, "Swords Of Revealing Light!" Four energy swords appeared in her hands, which she simply tossed sky-high. The swords took on sentience while swooping around for a target. They ended up several city blocks northwest, appearing like a twinkling star in the nighttime sky.

"Follow the swords!" Captor Corporal declared. To fly in a straight path would take a considerably large amount of time, so the Cardz decided to cut it in half. A parabola in their flight path helped them touch down in Portage Park.

"Look!" Digiball pointed out. Right where the swords floated, the Cardz found themselves face to face with the eyes they'd been searching for. No longer could the monster conceal herself.

"So, you found me at last," she spoke, "It's about time your tiny brains figured it out."

"I heard it in a movie," Tenku responded, "Whaddaya call yourself?"

"The name's Cyclone, thank you very much."

"Well the game's over, Cyclone!" Pokéskid announced, "The Cardz are here to rock your world!"

Cyclone shrugged those words off. Did those heroes seriously think they could just destroy thin air with a simple touch? "Too bad I don't see that happening. You, hurt pure air itself? Nice joke."

"Well, we can try!" Duel Dune shot, "Dark Fireball!" However, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's signature attack simply went through Cyclone and nearly hit a building not far off. Tenku intercepted it with a blast of her own, and then came the real fighting.

"Loop card!"

"Lightning Paw!" In turn, Cyclone sucked up dirt, trees, and cars and flung them at the heroes even though she didn't necessarily have to. As far as the fight went, the only success the Cardz received went no further than top-notch defensive and preventive tactics. Like Cyclone explained before, they simply couldn't touch her! Hadn't they learned anything from battling Stench on their first day?

"I've had all I can take!" Tenku announced.

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Cyclone asked. One by one, she vacuumed up the Cardz and played a torture chamber. Tenku got straight to work throwing rapid punches and kicks if not for another careening automobile. While the heroes did their best defending themselves as well as avoid destroying each other, Cyclone intended not to let them succeed by constant spinning and sucking up of various objects.

"Argh!" Duel Dune cried, snagged by a tree, "Get this thing off!"

"I'm coming!" Digiball called, only to get tangled up as well, "Augh! Not me too!"

"This has gone far enough!" Pokéskid announced, "Brace yourselves, team! Focus Energy! Explosion!" Right then and there, Cyclone felt various light rays emit from all over her physical self before she went boom. Only her alone, fortunately. The Cardz floated in mid-air and looked around themselves, the harsh weather appearing to subside.

"Wow, what a rush," Captor Corporal noted, "I can't see her for miles around."

"Full speed ahead, Pokéskid!" Tenku complimented, "You really wiped the floor with her!"

"So it seems," Pokéskid replied in an apocalyptic tone.

"Whaddaya mean?" Duel Dune asked.

"Keep your eyes peeled, everyone. T he storm's not over yet."

"You got that right," came Cyclone's voice as black-colored streams of air swirled into one single mass. The tornado stood tall on the battlefield once more, ready and willing.

"No way!" Digiball declared.

"You never learn, do you? I can't be destroyed because I'm made of air. I've already won."

"You're wrong," Captor Corporal countered, "It's over when we say so. Even air can be destroyed."

"Then I'd love seeing you prove your statement." Cyclone lowered the top of her head and vacuumed once more, sucking in anything and anyone. However, she'd must work overtime in order to absorb the Cardz a second time. Pokéskid and Tenku saw right through this.

"Suction Cups!" With Lileep's ability, Pokéskid made herself immune to Cyclone's assault. The Native American girl held Digiball, Duel Dune, and Captor Corporal's hands tightly enough to help and not hurt.

"Kaio-ken!" Tenku blazed with red light and stood firmly on the ground as well. Nevertheless, Cyclone took this newfound challenge head-on and increased inhalation. She cared not how firm her opponents remained.

"You're only delaying your doom, fools!"

"That's what you think!" Tenku retorted, "Instant Transmission!" The dark-skinned warrior disappeared into thin air. As the other Cardz struggled, Cyclone considered this charade an act of abandonment.

"Aha! Your friend's run off and left her teammates behind! Looks like she's not the team player you thought she was!"

"I like it when you monsters assume too much," Pokéskid commented, "Makes you all the more vulnerable and ridiculous."

"Gee, look who's talking," Cyclone retorted.

"Whatever Tenku's got in store, she better make it quick!" Digiball cried, "I can't hold on much longer!"

"Too bad!" Cyclone continued, "I don't see your friend anywhere! Can't you understand she's run out on you?"

"Wrong again!" came Tenku's voice as she appeared into view right next to Cyclone. The hero then grabbed onto the monster's tail and held on steadily. With that grip, the poor twister had no hope of wriggling free and escaping. Her relentless struggling couldn't help her.

"Uuurrrgghh! Eeee! Unhand me!" Tenku responded by tossing the tornado over her shoulder once and slamming her into the ground, not letting go even once. Then the preteen repeated it towards her comrades. The monster resumed sucking, but Pokéskid was prepared.

"Quick, team! Let's hit her with everything we got! Zap Cannon!"

"Final Justice!"

"Dark Magic!"

"Light card!" Cyclone absorbed the blasts against her will. To ensure success, Tenku grabbed the top opening and held the monster like a rope. Internal imbalance caused by the various blasts started a chain reaction withi, turning her into something bearing the force of an atom bomb. So Tenku molded her into a ball and tossed her up into outer space where she detonated miserably. Green and black streams fell back into the atmosphere before entirely dispersing. In Kawaguchi, Japan, Akira and Kensho were among the millions of witnesses across the world. They admired at their students' accomplishment in before exchanging identical looks and putting their arms around each other's shoulders.

"A sign," Kensho noted, "That's our students!"

"Indeed," Akira agreed, "They're growing up quite nicely."

"I bet our karate teachers would be happy for us right now," Duel Dune commented by chance.

"I think they already are," Digiball said.

"But that's not all!" Pokéskid announced, "Just look around!" When they did, they hardly recognized the scene. Even if the sun hadn't come out, subsided harsh winds provided enough satisfaction. People came bursting out of their houses and shelters for the purpose of enjoying the tranquility. The Cardz ditched interviews again before taking the clones back, de-transforming, and rejoining their families.

"Just look, son!" Nathan exclaimed, "Spring's around the corner!"

"Couldn't've said it better, Dad," Dana agreed.

"We're safe, Zenith!" Nadir told her sister, "I wish I could've seen the Cardz save us again! I never get tired of that!"

"Me neither, sis."

"No more need for cellphones!" Evan declared, "Who needs technology when we got heroes!"

"Ain't it the truth!" Andrea agreed.

"I love this town!" Triolo yelled. The five friends joined back again and looked around in satisfaction at the rejoicing. This was truly a miracle. The people cheered so loud that they may as well have spooked inhabitants from the dark side of Alpha Centauri.

"We don't need superhuman vision to see what's happened," a reporter said, "Once again, Chicago can rest easy with the Cardz on the job. This is one time the people use their hearts in place of their eyes for vision."

Again, certain individuals in hidden places never joined in the ear-piercing ovations. "Ooh, this cheering makes me sick," Wave commented, "I'd puke, but I lost that ability a long time ago."

"Ignore the happy cries," Jenga said, "We've more important things to think about." The mother-daughter couple would attack again very soon, but the kids chose to worry about it later on. Like Nathan said, springtime drew nigh.

The End


	17. 27: Going To Take A Walk

Chicago saw crazy weather in its lifespan, but nothing compared to Cyclone's wrath. The city already expected a storm to hit soon enough, though this was more than it bargained for. Jenga and Wave certainly did quite a number by tampering with nature as some humans had attempted. But as time passes on, and with assistance from the Cardz, March's calmness seeped through as the violent winds eventually died down. Plus, for the first time in months, Chicago saw a good dosage of sunny weather for the first time in months that allowed the Cardz to take the day off and enjoy themselves like normal preteens; the advanced conditions enabled them to ditch pieces of winter attire. On that morning, after taking a bus ride to a section not far off Des Plaines, the group found themselves nearing a peculiar apartment neighborhood. As they approached, it appeared to grow as large as an Arabian palace. "Huh," Yuri commented, "This place sure beats all of those fancy restaurants I've visited in my life. Anyone know anything else so high and mighty?"

"Apparently not," Zenith answered, "We girls have lived here for as long as we can remember, yet this set of apartments is strange to our eyes."

"You got that right," Laurel agreed.

"That doesn't sound like the Laurel **I** know," Tabitha said, dumbfounded at the Kenyan girl's words, "You're supposed to be the one on top of these things."

Laurel shrugged her shoulders in amusement. "So I made a mistake. Even us top-notch messengers miss something every once in a while. No biggie."

"So let's go check it out," Dana finished. Well, did they have anything else better to do? Besides, who could resist discovering the source of those strange voices emitting all over? The front entrance stood off to the side in front of their eyes and exhibited no gate whatsoever, so it was pretty easy for these kids to waltz in. Exploring the labyrinth-like interior, the kids' eyes darted around and found other kids most likely between the ages of 3 and 13 years. As the group passed by, everyone else's eyes remained fixated on them. But it took several more seconds before Tabitha noticed this first.

"Hey, look."

"What is it, Tabitha?" Yuri asked.

"Those kids are staring at us as if we're from another planet or something."

"And in a way, we are," Zenith confirmed, "We're strangers, so they've never met us before. Come along, now. It's rude to stare back." The group trudged on, but the other kids couldn't take their eyes off. In fact, in the shadows far behind, a more ominous pair stared angrily. What was the source of that anger? And to whom did those eyes belong? The group didn't have time to figure this out, what with their attention occupied and all. But the further they traveled, the more young eyes stared them down. Zenith told Tabitha to pay no attention, but the constant staring made the Chinese girl very nervous. Needless to say, the staring simply wouldn't cease. In the middle of the exploration, the group stopped in front of a row of doors. Even though she'd never been here before, Laurel felt a sense of familiarity about these apartments.

"Funny. I've never visited this place in my entire life, yet I recognize it for some unknown reason."

"Maybe you have been here before, but you don't remember because you were young," Dana suggested.

"Nope. I've got a larger memory about my life than I let on, from infancy up until now. Plus, my parents would've told me about these apartments a long time ago. Not only that, but I haven't found this setting anywhere in the family photo album."

"Let's trudge on," Zenith said, and that's just what they did. The entire area was certainly a puzzle in itself, inside and out. And what of the ominous eyes that undoubtedly wished to do anyone and everyone harm? The person whom those eyes belonged to apparently wasn't ready; otherwise they would've made a move by this second. Soon enough, the entire quintet gave in to the staring when they stopped at an open grassy area serving as a miniature playground. Then they stared back at the kids living in these apartments.

"Well, they've got us surrounded," Yuri announced, "What now?"

"Pick a specimen," Zenith instructed. Each preteen walked over to someone and made observations. Actually, these so-called observations consisted of such movements as hand gestures and waving one's head back and forth. For example, Tabitha stood in front of a boy and girl who each appeared to be at least 5 or 6 years old. If she wiggled her tongue like a snake lightheartedly, the two kids mimicked her. If Dana held his hand up, the girl he stared back at followed along. Basically, whatever these five did, the kids surrounding them copied these gestures. Even the 11-, 12-, and 13-year olds couldn't tear away. The quintet regrouped and discussed this matter quietly.

"These kids must not catch on quickly," Tabitha noted, "They probably haven't left the premises for who knows how long. I mean, it's pretty understandable that the little ones do the same as us, but the older ones?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Laurel agreed. How else could they explain it? This set of apartments was practically a foreign country devoid of visitors! The natives kept the group in a circle, and a minute passed by before someone finally made a move. One of the older boys and girls stepped up to the group for a surprisingly warm greeting.

"Are you from the suburbs?" the girl asked. The group looked to each other and at all the other faces around in uncertainty before answering.

"Yep," Yuri answered, "Suburbians, we are."

"Why is everybody staring at us?" Dana asked.

"Sorry if we may have startled you, but we don't get many visitors from the outside," the girl answered, "And in a way, that's the best thing for us."

"I don't get it," Zenith said.

"Well, let's move on," the boy chimed, "My name's Nick, and this is Trini." Nick then pointed to the other kids around. "That's Jack, Octavius, Missy, Loni, Jim, Jill, Dora, Reggie, Magenta, Lily, Jason, and Robert."

"My name's Tabitha. These are my friends Laurel, Dana, Yuri, and Zenith."

"And it's a pleasure to meet you all," Trini complimented, "So, what brings you all the way to our corner of the world?"

"We were out exploring, until we stumbled here," Dana answered.

"I've been up and down this burg, and this place is also new to me," Laurel added.

"So, you wanna play with us?" one of the younger ones asked. The quintet looked to each other for approval, but how could they say no to such innocent faces? They may as well do so, since this was their day off after all. Jenga and Wave definitely wouldn't allow them an entire week. Amongst training hard and battling evil forces, chances like this were relatively rare.

"Alright then," Zenith decided, "We're just that kind of people. What games do you play?"

"Anything!" the other kids answered wholeheartedly. For at least an hour or so, the group split apart and played with whomever. Other than the time before the Evil People made the scene, the five preteens simply couldn't remember the last time they'd had this much fun with little kids back in their regular neighborhood. The sunshine and mild weather definitely contributed to everybody's enjoyment. It may not have been related to Dragonball Z, but Laurel had quite a field day playing a friendly game of pogs with Jim and Jason.

"Slam and jam!" Laurel declared.

"Wow, you're good!" Jason said, "You gotta show us how you do that."

"It's all in the wrist, boys. It's all in the wrist."

"You haven't played much, huh?" Jim guessed.

Laurel blinked at that statement. "How'dja know?"

"To tell the truth, I didn't. I was just guessing." Elsewhere, while pushing a bunch of little kids on the swings, Tabitha also conversed with Loni. The Chinese girl and her younger conversationalist shared the same hairdo of pigtails, though not the same clothes. Not only that, but Loni's pigtails were much longer.

"I like your outfit," Loni complimented.

"Thanks. You're very cute yourself."

"You mean it? Do you really think I'm cute?"

"You and your friends, without a doubt." Underneath a lamppost not far off, Zenith hung with three other older children. The Shawnee girl learned that she actually had a lot to talk about with them. Biology came as the topic of the conversation, and each kid threw in something different.

"Some sponges grow to be larger than humans," one of the other kids said, "And humans have used sponges for generations for the purpose of bathing."

"Indeed," another added, "And when a mosquito bites someone, their saliva makes the person's skin itch. But there's a good chance the person may get malaria from that saliva."

"The mammalian order Proboscidea consists of the largest land mammals on Earth," Zenith chimed, "Thick and leathery skin; elongated nose forms a trunk; upper incisor teeth formed into tusks; some members even have hair on their bodies. Elephants, mammoths, and mastodons comprise this order."

"Whew," the fourth kid added, "It's true what they say: Great minds think alike. You sure know your stuff, Zenith."

"Thanks. I have high grade marks in my class, though I'm not the highest ranking student."

"Well, it's high in our eyes," the second kid said. Elsewhere, Dana pretended to wrestle with another bunch. Fortunately, much snow had melted before the quintet arrived, so the Hispanic boy and his new playmates didn't get too messy.

"Whee!" one kid declared, "This is fun!"

"You said it!" Dana agreed, "Tickle war!"

"Tickle war!" the other kids yelled, and they all gained up on the poor sap, so to speak. Despite all attempts, Dana simply couldn't stop the little ones from having too much fun. And what reason existed for him to do such?

"Please, stop!" Dana gasped between laughs, "I can't take anymore!" And what was Yuri doing? Like Zenith, she wasn't quite ready to join in just yet and so stood out of the action by conversing with Trini. To start off, the young Russian decided introduced her conversational partner to a certain anime.

"Ever heard of Digimon?"

"Nope. What's that?"

"Well, it's come in four different seasons. It starts in the first one when seven kids get transported to a strange world inside computer systems everywhere. They meet these creatures that take on just about any form and come with various signature attacks."

Trini thought this over for a moment. "Hmmm. Do you speak of a television show?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"No one living on these premises even owns a television, so I wouldn't know."

"How come?"

"We fear allowing outside elements would corrupt us and destroy the very sanctity of our homes." Yuri nodded in acknowledgement and decided to change the subject. For a good two hours or so, every child around couldn't stop enjoying themselves and hoped the good time wouldn't end. Still, not far off in the shadows, the same pair of iniquitous eyes that stared Zenith's group down angrily earlier continued on. A closer look revealed the owner of those eyes to be another average punk kid. Her reasons for hating the fun and mainly the visiting group came into light as she talked to herself.

"Yecch. I hate seeing someone have so much fun. And with outsiders, at that. Well, I'm about to break up this little carnival they got going."

Later on, after setting up a wide ring of chairs, the kids all found themselves playing a new game. And fortunately, the ground was flat enough to keep the chairs stable. Plus, the soft grass would serve as a cushion for those falling flat on their bellies. "Alright," Nick explained, "This game is called 'The Wind Blows'. The person who is 'it' stands in the middle of the ring and gives a brief description of the people sitting down. But they must start off saying 'The wind blows'. That's where the name of the game comes from."

"If several players share that particular characteristic, only they have to stand up and scramble for the empty chairs," Trini continued, "Let's say, for example, 'it' says, 'The wind blows for people with braces.' That means people with braces have to stand up and scramble around. Of course, if only one person follows that characteristic, he or she must simply and calmly switch places with 'it'. Get it?"

"You bet!" Tabitha declared.

"Let's get this show on the road," Yuri concluded. To start off, Zenith was first to be 'it'. And being the people they were, the members of this group of suburban-dwelling youngsters caught on quickly.

"Okay. The wind blows for anybody wearing pants." That's when the game's real action began. Most of the kids stood up from the chairs as the instructions went and ran around to get in a chair. It all ended with Laurel flopping on the ground tapping her fingers, something of which she and everyone else simply laughed off.

"Looks like you're it!" one of the other children announced. Laurel then picked herself up off the ground, dusted off, and prepared to continue playing.

"My turn! Now, what'll it be?"

"**I** got a great idea," came a distant and rather snobbish voice, "How 'bout **I** play 'Kick The Strangers Out'?" All eyes focused on the same punk girl as before, and they all stood up on their feet.

"Whaddaya want with us now, Brittany?" Octavius asked.

"Nothing much, actually," came the reply, "This time, I'm after these goody-goody snooty outsiders who don't know how to keep in their own territory."

"I resent that," Dana shot out, "Who do think you are, telling us what to do?"

"That's Brittany," Nick answered, "She's not like the rest of us apartment folk; she's bad, no thanks to elements of otherworldly influence."

"Yeah," Missy added, "Brittany thinks she can rule over us, and she always manages to elude the grownups every time we report her."

"Correcto-mundo," Brittany said, "Going out into the real world, I did something that these rivet-brains were too scared to do. But back to the matter at hand. If you'll kindly make your way to the nearest exit, I'll gladly spare you my wrath." The quintet merely glared at the punk. Who or what gave her the right to boss others around? They certainly weren't about to take this sitting down, that's for sure!

"Why don't you try and make us?" Yuri retorted.

"Please, don't rile her," Trini warned.

"I'd listen to ol' pickle puss there," Brittany sneered, "You're better off that way."

"It's alright," Laurel announced, as she stepped forward, "I can deal with this creep myself." She stood right in front of Brittany, ready to take whatever the punk threw her way. "How's about this? You and I, head to head. If you win, we'll leave and never come back. If I win, your reign of terror ends."

Brittany merely sneered at the offer. "So, you're lookin' for a brawl, eh? Alright, then. But I gotta warn you, I never lose."

Not once could anybody spot even a hint of flinching in Laurel's eyes. "Neither do I, sunshine."

"Aaaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhh!" That last comment must've done the trick, what with Brittany screaming and making the first move. But she never successfully landed a blow, as Laurel stepped to the side and tripped her up. Brittany picked herself up off the ground and denied what just happened. "Lucky shot, wuss. I was just testing you."

"Sure you were," Laurel retorted, "I don't believe in luck."

"Then let's quit fooling around and fight!" For the native kids, it was an epic battle. But Zenith, Yuri, Tabitha, and Dana had already seen, heard, and experienced more extreme confrontations earlier in their lives. To them, this was hardly any different. In fact, it couldn't come close to a trio of superpowered idiots attacking random objects and people (a.k.a. the Evil People).

"Your friend Laurel sure knows her stuff," Jason commented, "We've never seen this much action before."

"Oh, this really isn't much," Tabitha replied, "This fight'll be over before we know it." The four needed not use psychic powers to predict Laurel's victory. After all, many pieces composed the Kenyan girl: She was once a street kid, hence her jock-like attitude. Plus, only Chicago's best karate masters taught the group well. Despite her act of venturing beyond the apartments' borders, Brittany simply couldn't compare to Chicago's true criminal underworld. Maybe the punk might've eventually allowed absorption into such if she'd tried hard enough, but that wouldn't happen any time soon. Laurel noticed that Brittany was slowly tiring, no matter how much denial she put into the situation.

"Y'know, girl, you can still quit while there's time. It's not too late to admit you're wrong and back out."

"That's the oldest trick in the book. It won't work on me!" Brittany ran towards Laurel for the umpteenth time, seemingly chasing her around the premises. Stopping at a picket fence not far off, that's exactly what the Kenyan girl wanted her opponent to attempt. If this punk was as inexperienced as everyone just saw, then Laurel would be able to outsmart her and win the battle once and for all. "Comin' atcha!" Brittany zoomed in a straight path, while Laurel waited and acted as if it was all over. The other apartment kids couldn't understand the deal.

"Has she gone mad?" Nick wondered, "Brittany has her right where she wants her!"

"You got it switched around," Dana countered, "Just watch." At the last second, Laurel stepped aside in a casual manner again. Brittany couldn't stop herself in time, as her face and the fence made physical contact. The punk stood back up from the ground and clutched her nose in pain.

"Ouch! Ooh! It hurts!" As everyone came over to inspect the results, the apartment kids jolted at the sound of that statement. Brittany, in pain!

"Hey, look!" a kid jested, "Brittany has an ouchie!" At that, everyone laughed it up except the suburban kids, who merely stared on in irony. But the noises ceased as two women encroached on the scene. One had long black hair and wore a sleeveless, flowered dress and sienna boots. The other had short red hair and preferred lavender pants, a yellow blouse, and black high-heels.

"We heard a commotion occur during our little chat," the longhaired woman said, "Anybody care to explain?"

"She hit me!" Brittany accused, pointing to Laurel. But before the adults could say anything, Zenith interceded.

"That girl is lying. We were all minding our own business and playing harmless games with these kids. Then this girl appeared out of nowhere and said we couldn't. She also wished to do them harm. And so help me, that's no lie."

"Is this true, Brittany?" the shorthaired woman questioned.

"Uhhh… no, Mom."

"I don't believe you. Come along." The mother grabbed her deranged daughter's hand and escorted her away. "When your father returns, we're going to have a long, long talk." After the couple disappeared from sight, the other woman made apologies and got acquainted with the five visiting preteens.

"First of all, let me apologize to all of you for not dealing with this problem sooner. I might've known Brittany broke her three chances for redemption sooner than now."

"So this has happened before," Laurel said, "We might've guessed."

"My name's Satler Bean. How about you kids?" This time, Yuri made the introductions.

"Well, I'm Yuri Glinka. These are my friends Tabitha Rebao, Zenith Baker, Dana Chavez, and Laurel Maize."

"It's very nice to meet you all. I'll bet you've had a field day playing with these young ones. Anyone care for sandwiches?"

"I do!" everyone chimed.

Much later that day, as the sun stood vigilantly over the horizon, the preteen quintet from the suburbs prepared to leave. "It sure was nice meeting you all," Trini commented, "You should come over more often."

"We might," Dana said, "Maybe we'll think it over."

"You've done us a great service this day, and we thank you for it," Nick added, "But, we won't be able to avoid the outside world forever. Our time is coming little by little."

"I must agree with you there," Zenith said, "Well, it's getting rather late, so we should be going now. Catch you on the flip side!"

"Bye!" the other kids called back, as the group headed off to the nearest bus stop. Both sides waved on for a good while until they lost sight of each other. The five preteens were very glad they'd taken the opportunity while they still could. Tomorrow predicted yet another day of extreme action courtesy of none other than Jenga and Wave.

The End


	18. 30: Metal Munchkins

Chicago's very own Grant Park bustled heavily today, though not as much as the night a meteor landed in Lake Michigan. Jenga practically grew a monster from that rock the following day upon its extraction from the water whom the Cardz defeat it in the end. But no space junk caused a buildup of enjoyment in the park. Various families gathered their baskets and blankets simply to enjoy the fresh air rather than some special event or anything. A certain quintet wasn't exempt from this, as it signaled the beginning of Spring Break for all of Chicago's schools. "I can't believe it's Spring Break again," Zenith commented, "That must be why the place is packed."

"Either that, or it could be somebody's birthday," Dana suggested, "I should know. They did the same thing back in Roswell."

"Whatever the case, it feels good kicking back from school and enjoying nature," Yuri said, "Right up our alley, best of all."

"If that's true, why squander the opportunity on mere chat?" came a familiar feminine voice. The group turned towards the source of the voice and found themselves quite a surprise. After all this time, two certain individuals had finally come back home.

"Akira!" Laurel exclaimed, "Kensho! Long time, no see!"

"Correct," Kensho agreed, "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

"So how'd it go with the family and such?" Tabitha asked.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to catch up with any of my siblings," Akira explained, "They've been long gone as much as myself, and we all visit Mother and Father at different points in the year. It's been longer for me."

"Akira's parents took quite a liking to me, and mine to her," Kensho added, "People like us are born to know a match made in heaven when they first see it, but we've had other things on minds during our residence in the United States. Call it love at late sight."

"Even our parents never would've guessed," Zenith agreed, "We share the same characteristic."

"Mighty proclamation," Akira commented, "And how go your elementary studies?"

"Excellent as usual," Yuri answered, "In fact, you two arrived just in time to see school let out for Spring Break. One whole week to do whatever we want or must, like band practice."

"Indeed," Kensho agreed, "We've much training to catch up on, and we can't forget about certain nasties. That was some storm not too long ago. The whole world saw the fireworks." Right away, the kids knew their senseis referred to the weather incident.

"Oh, you mean Cyclone?" Laurel said, "Yeah, we showed that old windbag who's boss. But since not a whole lot o' people can hit air, we seriously doubted ourselves there for a moment."

"Well, you kids run along now and have fun," Akira said, "We'll expect you back at the card shop for your lessons later this week." The group complied and sped in no particular direction. Not far off, a quartet of kids younger than perhaps Nadir amused themselves on a sidewalk with some large-sized toys resembling modern-day vehicles. Tracy, clad in a yellow t-shirt and a denim skirt and her green hair tied in two spiral ponytails, clutched a black-colored Tyco NCC 2204 race car. Aster, dressed in silver shorts and a pink t-shirt and bearing his brown hair in a flattop, played around with a white jet with black wheels and blue rudders and exhaust pipes, courtesy of Gay Toys Inc. (A/N: Gay Toys Inc. is a real toy manufacturer in southern Michigan.) Ryan kept himself busy with a Tonka tow truck colored gold, red-orange, silver, and black. His blue hair was cut in a central patch, and he wore beige pants and a green sleeveless shirt. Shirley, fiddling with a blue-and-gray Little Tikes semi-truck, wore a slim gray dress and let her black hair flow freely. But unlike most little ones, this group did more than just wave their toys back and forth on the ground or in the air. Why, they envisioned their playthings as real transforming characters.

"Backwards tug o' war!" Ryan challenged.

"You're on!" Shirley accepted. The two put the bumpers of their toys face to face and pushed. But this was a pretend game, so neither child exerted much force, and each moved the toys forward and backward on purpose. Tracy pretended that her toy car was attached to the backside of Aster's jet and was being carried in tow.

"We've reached the landing sight!" Aster said.

"Then I'll do my stuff," Tracy said. Still pretending, she 'detached' her car from the jet and drove it on the sidewalk. All continued for another minute until the quintet happened by. The four younger children stopped, picked up their toys, and faced the older group a bit nervous.

"Uh, hello," Shirley greeted.

"No need to stop on our account," Dana said, "We're here to enjoy ourselves just like everybody else."

"Those are some swell toys you got there," Laurel complimented, "And I'm being serious."

"Well, they're not just toys," Tracy explained, "We're all friends here, but these are our best friends. We called them the Mega Metallicans. My car's name is Exhaust, and she can burn up the street."

"My plane is named Jetspeed," Aster added, "He soars faster than you can read a comic book."

"I named my truck Smash," Ryan continued, "His tail here can grab a car and flip it over like a blanket."

"And this is Bonecrusher," Shirley concluded, placing her toy down on the grass for a demonstration, "Watch how she charges forwards and makes a body slam." So the girl moved her toy straight and made it capsize on its side, coming to an eventual stop. She then picked the semi-truck back up and rejoined her group.

"Whaddaya think?" Tracy asked.

"We think you four share one mighty imagination," Zenith complimented, the others' heads nodding, "And I mean it in a good way."

"What do you like to play with?" Ryan asked. In response, the preteens unloaded their pockets of cards and showed them off.

"Collecting cards," Tabitha answered, "We don't know how to play the actual games right now, but that might change later on."

"Hey, I recognize these!" Aster exclaimed, "They're from those same shows I often watch! But where did this train with eyes come from?"

"Its name is Locomon," Yuri explained, "That means 'Locomotive Monster'."

"But some of these don't look like monsters," Tracy commented as the younger group handed the cards back.

"Even though they aren't, they still are," Zenith said, "It's hard to explain right now. You four'll understand better some day."

However, would certain individuals be power-mad tyrants if they didn't stir up trouble? Back on the nearest street, a bus with eyes imprinted on its windshield remained parked in place. Some passersby mentioned having seen a rogue school bus in earlier days and considered the eyes interesting and creative. Others recalled being unable to figure out what a school bus was doing at certain parts on non-school days which switched to wondering where it could've gone. By now, Jenga had all but given up her disguises and almost exclusively preferred her shields. She focused particularly on the pint-sized group of four while the ever-present Wave stared out a window. What'd the former want with harmless little kids? "Concentrate your attention a little to the left, child. What do you see?"

"Four pipsqueaks holding some large toys," came the reply, "But what've they got to do with anything?"

"Take a closer look. What do their actions suggest?"

Wave focused long and hard at the small children. The preteens had long since evaded the villains' sight and therefore their hearing range. Not that it mattered. Wave observed the playful mannerisms. "Well, I guess they think their little toys can transform or something. In simple terms, a wild imagination." Then the mutant jolted and spoke her next words in stuttering awe. "Uhhh…Mom?"

Jenga realized her daughter's voice tone right away. "You sound inspired. Bravo, Wave, you're learning."

"I got it now! Let's use their imagination against the Cardz!"

"And we shall in good time." With that, the bus sped away. Being a criminal herself, Jenga never followed the speed limit. Invisibility let her get away to a certain extent while repelling unwanted attention.

Two new Leatherheads stood alive once the pair returned to the hideout. "What is your command?" one asked.

Jenga breathed a cloud that acted as a floating screen projecting none other than her memory of the little kids and their toys. "Search these children out. I want you to bring their little toys back here."

"It shall be done," the other saluted. The new duo marched out through a secret entrance in the floor Jenga only recently installed.

"Wow," Wave commented upon their departure, "We've never used Leatherheads as delivery people before."

"Indeed," Jenga agreed, "This could come handy later on."

Not long after the picnic, the same quartet walked on down Harrison St. Even while standing up could they still amuse themselves with their toys, Aster especially. But eight other eyes from a clump of ledges they passed set sight on them: the Leatherheads sent earlier to rob the poor kids, now ready to make a move. The former exchanged nods before meeting the latter. "Okay, children, that'll be far enough," one said.

"We know you!" Shirley declared, "You're those black things with big muscles and white eyes! We saw you on TV once!"

"And you are very perceptive," another Leatherhead commented, extending a hand, "Now if you'll kindly relinquish your plastic vehicles to us, we'll just be on our way. Simple request."

"No way!" Ryan shot out, "They're our toys!" So the kids turned opposite direction and ran as quickly as their legs could carry them, but the Leatherheads were in a much higher league. They caught up easily and seized hold of the struggling parcel.

"You let us go this instant!" Tracy demanded, "Mom, Dad, anybody! Help!" But nobody was close enough to answer. The Leatherheads dropped the kids on the ground after relieving them of their toys.

"Thank you very kindly," a third Leatherhead retorted, and the muscle-bound creeps quickly marched out of the neighborhood.

Using various techniques of absolute stealth, the bad ones arrived back on Mannheim Rd. at the hideout, entered through the same secret entrance by means of the sewers. "Good to see you back," Wave greeted, "Didja get the toys?"

"As promised," the fourth Leatherhead answered. They presented the objects to their mistresses.

"Excellent," Jenga said, "You can just set them down and run along upstairs." Once again, the underlings acknowledged the commands and left their creators to speculate and plot. "Alright, Wave, enough waiting around. Let's make the brats' imagination public."

Full of tainted gases, the jiggling toys looked ready to expand.

"Uh oh," Wave noted, "Looks like they're about to bring the house down."

"Then we'll let 'em do it outside," Jenga said. She extended her tentacles and grabbed the toys. Wave opened the front door, allowing her mother to hurl the objects onto the street. There, they expanded nearly to half the size of the Titanic and came to life.

"Look at this race track!" Exhaust declared, "Think I'll break the sound barrier and a record at the same time?"

"As long as no dumb buildings or other get in your way," Jetspeed answered.

"Hey, Bonecrusher," Smash said, "How 'bout a rematch of our backwards tug o' war?"

"I'll take you on any day," Bonecrusher responded.

That won't be necessary, came Jenga's telepathy.

"Hey, who said that?" Jetspeed asked.

My name is Jenga. My daughter Wave and I are the ones who gave you life. Now go ffind the Cardz and give them a fight they'll never forget! The newly minted Mega Metallicans thought this over momentarily. The good news for the evil mother-daughter couple is that the four would cause massive destruction. The bad news was that they'd do it on their own terms.

"Oh, we'll go, alright," Bonecrusher said, "But you're not the ones calling the shots here."

"Yeah!" Exhaust agreed, "The Mega Metallicans listen to nobody but themselves!"

"C'mon, let's ditch these losers!" Smasher coached, and the Mega Metallicans were off. The fact that these machines made themselves unruly worried Wave greatly, but Jenga cared less.

"Um, Mom? Was this supposed to happen?"

"Of course not. But it doesn't matter."

"Shouldn't we go after them?"

"Why bother? Rather than waste our vitality, we can just kick back and watch the Cardz do them in for us."

Back on Harrison St., the preteens strolled along talking of their picnic acquaintance. "Those kids sure were cute," Yuri said.

"Yeah, little tikes are always cute," Tabitha admitted.

"Funny bumping into them again," Dana pointed out as both parties unknowingly approached each other.

"Hello again," Shirley greeted morosely.

"Hi," Laurel returned, "Why the long faces?"

"Some bullies came and took away our toys," Ryan answered, "And we don't even know where they went."

"Perhaps we can help," Zenith said, "What'd they look like?"

"They were just like those black things we saw on TV once," Tracy explained, "Black all over, big muscles, white eyes, and they acted as if they were in the military or something." The preteens exchanged slightly suspicious glances before facing the other group.

"Alright then," Tabitha said, "We'll find help. You four just go on home." So the preteens ran off into the distance. After placing nearly a mile between themselves and the little ones, they discussed the matter amongst themselves.

"You seriously think some Leatherheads intercepted them?" Laurel suggested.

"Probably," Zenith answered, "But then again, one can't be too sure. Maybe it happened that way, or maybe some punks disguised themselves enough to fool them reasonably." The group's sudden flinching proved the quartet's story without question.

"Looks like the Leatherheads are responsible," Dana confirmed, "We only flinch like this whenever we hear the grinding of metal, glass, and concrete. That indicates an attack."

"And as always, we're the only ones who can do anything about it," Yuri concluded, as they pulled out their favorite cards.

Back in downtown Chicago, the Mega Metallicans instigated a mess with their demolition derby. Even though no other car asked her, Exhaust challenged them to a race anyhow. "Yeeha! How's my driving?" The race car smashed up abandoned vehicles, caused fire hydrants to explode, and her tire tracks left flames burning on the pavement.

"Mission control to the people below!" Jetspeed taunted, "How's my flying? " Motivated by Jenga and Wave's influence, the jet cruelly opened fire upon innocent bystanders but didn't kill them. Rather, his ammunition put carefully drilled holes in mailboxes.

"Crunch time!" Smash announced. The tow truck's crane latched underneath the bumpers of every car in sight and tossed them into a neat pile. He then sped forward and knocked it down all over.

"Body slam!" Bonecrusher screamed. The semi picked up speed before purposely capsizing and creating a trail of destruction, narrowly stopped in front of a nearby shop. When the Cardz came on the scene, they were a bit surprised.

"Check it out," Tenku pointed out, "Whoever these jokers are, they look just like those kids' toys."

"Whatever the case, they're out of control," Pokéskid said, "Let's teach them a lesson in respecting public property!"

So the Cardz all picked a Metallican to take on: Pokéskid; Smash, Digiball; Exhaust, Duel Dune; Jetspeed, and Tenku and Captor Corporal gained up on Bonecrusher. "Oh, so you wanna mix it up with us, huh?" Smash taunted, "Well, we won't disappoint you!" The fight with the Mega Metallicans seemed to last forever. The Cardz could barely keep the pace against a bunch of vehicles' movements, but it all came down to arrow attacks as they punctured the Metallicans' sources of momentum.

"Spikes!"

"Celestial Arrow!"

"Living Arrow!"

"Death Wave!"

"Arrow card!"

The Mega Metallicans' amusement came to a sudden stop as Jetspeed's wings and the others' wheels functioned no further. A great calm spread in the air. "So, you must be the ones they call the Cardz," Exhaust figured.

"We are," Digiball answered, "And you're the Mega Metallicans. We learned that from a reliable source. But you're paralyzed."

"That's what you think!" Jetspeed said as they repaired their injuries without delay. Before the Cardz could act, the Mega Metallicans smacked them all the way back into the suburbs onto Harrison St. and just as quickly caught up.

"But it doesn't stop there," Bonecrusher added. Suddenly, the Cardz witnessed a parody of Robosaurus: The Mega Metallicans were transforming as well! The rockets on Exhaust became feet, and her wing-like parts on the side became metal arms shaped like mantis forelimbs. Jetspeed's rockets also became feet; his cockpit and 'nose' replaced with a robotic head; new guns on the chest; and arms with razor knuckles appearing underneath the wings. Smash gained a square-shaped head, a more humanoid form, and squiggly arms from his doors. Bonecrusher's trailer part stood up on end and became a torso and legs while her tractor went on top and turned into a head. To complete this, muscled arms grew from her trailer. The Cardz stared in awe at the Metallicans' new forms.

"Figures," Captor Corporal said, "I never was much for Transformers."

"You thought we were difficult as vehicles?" Smash questioned, "Let's see you face the Mega Metallicans in our transformed states." But Duel Dune knew when to take control once again.

"Take this" The Chinese hero made the same toothy scowl as in the beginning, and chains held her down to the ground. But she broke free and glowed black. The Metallicans could only stare in confusion at her imitation of Exodia Necross.

"What's her problem?" Jetspeed wondered.

Digiball acted next as she gained armor from a certain ancient warrior of the Digital World. "Execute! Spirit Evolution! … Beetlemon!"

"Super Saiyan 3!" Tenku's hair turned yellow and grew at least a yard long.

"Just use me as a shield!" Duel Dune said as she faded into thin air. Exhaust fired various blasts from the red lights that acted as her eyes, missiles from her feet, and jabbed with her arms. Digiball's armor protected her as well, though its weight restricted some movement.

"Thunder Blitz!" A wave of electricity temporarily sent Exhaust flying. When she tried retaliating, Duel Dune faded into view and absorbed the assault while continuing her fight with Jetspeed. He threw everything he could at her: guns, claws, and the like. He also had his wings to use as protective shields. But it all made her stronger.

"Divine Ring!" Duel Dune unleashed Shinato's signature attack upon Jetspeed, causing little damage but at least knocking him down.

"Let's dance, wimp!" Smash retorted.

"Flamethrower! Dragon Rage!" Pokéskid combined Fire-type and Dragon-type attacks, all the while avoiding punches, kicks, and large objects Smash threw her way. Exchanging blows with Bonecrusher, Tenku felt like Super Saiyan 3 Goku taking on Kid Boo. At the same time, Captor Corporal flew around and bombarded the semi-truck hard.

"Snow card! Flower card! Woody card!" The truck warrior now looked like a disgusting mess of snow and plants.

But the Mega Metallicans didn't intend for this to last. "Huddle!" Exhaust called, and the other machines retreated behind her. It was anybody's guess what the Mega Metallicans were up to, the Cardz included.

"Wanna call this single or give up?" Tenku asked. Before the heroes reacted, Exhaust attached some electrical clamps and wires from her eyes to the Cardz' arms and legs that drained them of power but without causing them to revert. When the clamps retracted, the heroes could barely coordinate. Plus, this reversed Digiball, Duel Dune, and Tenku's extra transformations.

"So…weak," Duel Dune said.

"Can…barely…move," Pokéskid gasped. As if that wasn't bad enough, Jetspeed zoomed by and landed some damaging blows. To top it all off, Smash and Bonecrusher dealt finishing punches to the poor transformed kids. Bonecrusher also picked them up and stacked them neatly in a pile. The Mega Metallicans admired their work.

"That's five twerps down for the count," Bonecrusher said, "Whaddaya suppose that Jenga character wanted with 'em?"

"Who cares?" Smash replied, "Let's just finish them off so we can get back to the derby. Our fun doesn't create itself." But four small and familiar voices caught them off-guard.

"Wow!" Aster declared, "Take a look at them!" The Mega Metallicans turned and faced the same tikes as before.

"You four are so awesome!" Shirley added, "You look just like our toys! The way we thought of you!" The Metallicans continued staring in peculiarity. As if they retained certain memories, the machines couldn't bring themselves to attack the children.

"For that matter, you may as well be our toys!" Ryan suggested, "I bet you go by the same names!" At that moment, the Cardz woke up.

"Get outta here, kiddos!" Digiball ordered, "These jerks are dangerous!" That quickly snapped the Mega Metallicans out of their trance.

"You still kicking?" Jetspeed said.

"Catch us if you can!" Captor Corporal taunted, and the Cardz flew not far off the Des Plaines River.

"Just look at those wimps run," Smash said.

"So let's get 'em!" Exhaust said. The Mega Metallicans became vehicles and pursued while the tikes stared on in unending awe.

"Sweet," Ryan commented.

Reaching two miles beyond city limits, the Cardz plotted a finishing move. "Okay, we got 'em out," Duel Dune said, "What now?"

"Now comes our final hit," Pokéskid announced, "Team, focus all of your energy into one attack. It's now or never." Just then, the Mega Metallicans emerged on the scene, also ready to end it all.

"This is the ultimate battle!" Bonecrusher declared.

"Now!" Pokéskid ordered. All at once, the Cardz and the Mega Metallicans must've become stockpiles of nuclear time bombs from others' point of view. "Dynamicpunch!" Pokéskid broke into Smash's ribcage, electricity escaping.

"Gauntlet Claw!" Digiball slashed Exhaust up like a shish kebob skewer to lettuce. Her pieces were literally all over the place!

"Raigeki!" A blast of lightning from Duel Dune's hand sliced Jetspeed in half diagonally, from his left shoulder down to his right hip. Not even Jetspeed's mighty wings could save him now.

"Wolf Fang Fist!"

"Big card!" Tenku bashed Bonecrusher's tractor while Captor Corporal handled the trailer. After this all happened, only rubble of the Mega Metallicans lay on the ground. By combining a dimensional window with a television set, Jenga and Wave watched the whole thing without help from any news cameras. (Why didn't she think of this sooner?)

"Looks like that's that," Wave said, "Or is it?"

"Not quite. It's time for the second phase." At those words, the rubble wiggled and swarmed around.

"Now what's going on?" Tenku wondered.

"Brace yourselves!" Pokéskid warned, "They might try to trap us inside of them!" Actually, the rubble had something else in mind. Various pieces connected together like a jigsaw puzzle. When the swarming stopped, the Cardz now found themselves staring face to face with a mechanical chimera: Jetspeed's wings and body: arms from Smash and Bonecrusher: Exhaust's feet, and a spiky, cone-shaped head.

"Go figure," Captor Corporal said, "I guess they all follow the same rule: When in doubt, combine into one."

"Cardz!" Jenga called from out of nowhere, "Say hello to Phanto-XL!"

"Huh," Tenku commented, "Some title." Without warning, Phanto-XL lunged at the Cardz stomping in place. It shook both the air and ground, knocking the Cardz for a loop. At that moment, the chimera shot bullets and missiles alike. It also threw in various kicks and punches to make things six times as difficult. Explosions, dust, and even ignition covered the battlefield.

"Water Veil!" Pokéskid put up a watery shield to avoid burns.

"Tempest Wing!" Digiball blew away the dust, creating a clear view for them all. Duel Dune could take no more.

"I've had it! Secret Barrel!" In the blink of an eye, cannons popped up from the ground and punctured Phanto-XL's right foot. While distracted by its limp, the robot never caught Duel Dune's next attack. "Fairy Meteor Crush!" A rock rose up and smashed the left foot. But the hero's attack still wasn't over yet. "Dragon Fire!" Flames erupted into Phanto-XL's wounds, damaging its feet beyond repair. Internal circuits exploded before the feet fell off completely.

"You did it!" Captor Corporal cheered.

"Yeah, but why is that thing still floating?" Pokéskid pointed out. Indeed, Phanto-XL was far from giving up. So the heroes flew into the air taking part in the second round. Phanto-XL spun around in circles and flew about feverishly, pounding and slapping the living daylights out of them all. Tenku and Captor Corporal took over from here.

"This has gone on long enough! Spirit Sword!"

"Shot card!" The Kenyan and Hispanic warriors smashed up the body, but Phanto-XL had one last trick up its sleeve. Whereas the body crumbled to the ground, the cone head yet remained. It jabbed its way through the Cardz and continued on towards Chicago.

"It's heading back to the city!" Duel Dune cried, "We gotta stop it!"

"Yeah!" Digiball agreed, "For all we know, it could be a bomb!" And so they rushed off. Back in Chicago, everyone walking around caught sight of what remained of Phanto-XL and knew immediately what kind of trouble they were in for. But the Cardz poured on even more speed, and just when the head nearly touched down, they caught it in the nick of time. The people breathed easy.

"Hey, look!" someone said, "Those kids caught the bomb!"

"Don't start cheering just yet!" Captor Corporal said, "This thing's still hazardous!" And yet, the head pushed on and refused to give in. But the Cardz allowed the pressure to build up in their feet before reversing the momentum and leaping high towards the mesosphere. The minute each warrior contributed a puncture, the head exploded into a million pieces. When the dust cleared, they found the toys in hand.

"Well, how about that," Tenku said, "Looks like those last hits did the trick."

"Let's go give those tikes back their playthings," Pokéskid said.

Jenga and Wave meanwhile stared at the television in satisfaction. "Guess that's that," Wave decided, "You were right, Mom. Those Cardz came through for us without even knowing it."

"Of course. I knew they would the whole time."

And back on Harrison St., the tikes received a surprise as the preteens gave them back their toys. "Wow! I can't believe it!" Ryan said, holding his tow truck, "How'dja do it?"

"The Cardz came our way and told us to hand-deliver," Tabitha exaggerated.

"Too bad you couldn't make it here sooner," Tracy said, "You should've seen it! There were these giant robots that looked the same way as our toys when they transform!" As the younger ones explained, the preteens listened intently while exchanging winks. They already knew what happened but chose to listen anyhow.

The End


	19. 31: Sailing And Singing

Spring Break drew to a close for all of Chicago's school kids. One group in particular had it ruined no thanks to the city's criminal empire, especially two certain mutants. Other than the tampering of four little kids' toys, little else stirred except for the occasional patrols, lessons with their recently returned karate teachers, and newfound band practices. Mr. Gina, whom they hadn't had much to do with since the commotion involving Oscar and Dodie Beecher, apparently loved their last performance so much that he hooked them up at a family restaurant the night of the Mega Metallicans' rampage. In addition to that and his act of helping a manager currently drowning in debt, he'd also noticed what musical prowess they'd been building up lately and so wrote them their first agreeable song. Such a presentation became something more when an entertainment official from Indiana invited them over to the city of Gary for a weekend-long fair. Unlike everyone else, the group secretly known as the Cardz chose to end Sprink Break right. "Are you all set?" Andrea asked.

"Indeed I am, Mom," Laurel answered. The Kenyan couple helped their daughter pack up for a three-day trip. A knock came to the door.

"I'll get it," Scott said. Of course, the others happened to be waiting on the doorstop holding travel bags. "Oh, Laurel! Your little friends have arrived!" So the preteen went straight to the doorway, her bag also in hand.

"So, you ready?" Tabitha asked.

"As I can ever be!" And with that, the group left the Maize residence and walked down to a bus stop on the near corner of Polk St. There they caught up with drama teacher Mr. Gina in the blink of an eye.

"Ah, I'm glad you five made it. Though, you haven't practiced very long. T hink you got what it takes to satisfy as large an audience as you're about to encounter?" Nevertheless, the kids remained firm.

"Oh, we've seen worse than some concert," Yuri replied, "It's only a fair, after all. Long as we put our minds into it, this'll be a breeze."

"Glad to hear it. Do you remember your parts?"

"Sure," Dana answered, "Laurel's got the drums, Zenith plays keyboard, and I have the zither. Tabitha and Yuri are the lead singers."

"Say, that reminds me: Will they have instruments waiting for us when we arrive?" Zenith asked.

"That they will," Mr. Gina explained, "First off, you'll take a bus up to Navy Pier, where my friend Corey Swank is currently waiting. She'll purchase tickets and guide you throughout the trip. The ride shall last until tomorrow at approximately 7:00 in the morning."

"And then what?" Laurel asked.

"Your concert begins at 8:30 and should last all the way until 10:00. After that, once you've had lunch and so forth, you'll arrive back here on Sunday." Mr. Gina gave each child a friendly pat on the back. "Break a leg, kids."

"You can count on it," Yuri said, "Oh, the bus." And so the kids bid the drama teacher farewell and boarded the departing vehicle.

Up on Navy Pier, a ship traveling to Gary waited patiently just as predicted. But a sinister figure in the shadows plotted a move. She looked left, right, up, and down before stepping out into the open with luggage by her side. The woman satisfyingly stared down at a pair of abnormally large strawberries. "Perfect. They'll never find the jewels hidden in my produce." Suddenly, the woman stepped back into the shadows as a pair of security guards passed by only to step out again when they disappeared from sight. "That was a close one." At that moment, the same bus the kids rode on came to a stop, and the passengers poured out onto the docks. The kids were the lasts ones to exit.

"Okay, now that we're here, where's Mrs. Swank?" Tabitha wondered.

"She should be around," Dana said, "Y'know, Mr. Gina never bothered describing her before we left. That's a real kick in the head for us."

"Maybe she can help," Zenith figured, pointing to the same woman with the strawberries. The woman unfailingly caught sight of this and silently panicked. She couldn't let anyone catch her with those jewels!

"Uh oh. I've been spotted." She did her best to remain calm and act casual as the kids approached her. "Hello. Can I help you?"

"Hi," Laurel greeted, "You wouldn't happen to know where we could find a Carol Swank, could you?" The woman breathed a sigh of relief. These kids were only mere passengers, so it seemed, and they didn't look the least bit suspicious.

"Carol Swank? No, I'm sorry. I'm traveling down to Gary all by my lonesome for a luncheon."

"Go figure," Yuri commented, "Well, believe it or not, we're on our way there for our first concert at a fair. We're a band now, and we call ourselves Explosion Illusion."

"Oh, how wonderful. Maybe I'll attend it myself."

"Wonderful," Zenith commented, "Perhaps we'll give you an autograph, Miss…uh…"

"Carmen Matheny. Say, kids, I've got too much luggage to carry. It wouldn't be any trouble if you assisted me, would it?"

"Of course not," Tabitha said, "We'd be glad to help." The others nodded in agreement. Carmen led the group down low, through a spare door on the side of the ship. The kids noticed something funny about all of this, but they shrugged it off and played along. As they entered a room deep down in the ship's bowels, the kids set Carmen's luggage down neatly as well as their own. At the same time, she locked the door and joined them. One glance at her oversized strawberries surprised them.

"Whoa!" Laurel exclaimed, "Are those strawberries for real?" Carmen nodded yes.

"They sure are. I got 'em from a farm whose owners know their growing."

Yuri sniffed the air. "Mm, mm. I just love the smell of the water, it does something to me."

"Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you," Zenith said, shaking Carmen's hand, "But we must go meet someone back up on the docks and get our tickets." Just then, the ship rocked.

"Hey, the boat's moving!" Dana declared, "We gotta get our tickets now!" So the group scrambled for the door and tugged on the lever. But their efforts proved futile, and it was too late. The ship had already pulled away far enough from the docks, so swimming would be the kids' only option if they were desperate enough. But Carmen's next words caused them to stop struggling.

"It's no use getting excited, children. I've a secret to tell: I'm a stowaway, and you're stowaways." Carmen laughed at her own words. The kids unwittingly joined in, only to stop just as quickly.

"Wait a second," Laurel realized, "Why're we laughing?"

Four hours into the trip, the group could do nothing more than sit on a bunch of crates and sift through their cards. The trip was so lengthy and boring that it may as well have lasted several months! All the while, Carmen took up a comfy spot in a far corner and snoozed, holding the strawberries close. As the kids motioned around with their cards, hunger began overtaking them. If anyone else would've been present, they'd see the fatigue in the preteens' eyes. But the five hadn't any tickets, so they dared not go up in fear of getting prosecuted. And yet, even Zenith never suspected whether or not Carmen had any tickets.

"Lileep develops into Cradily, Azurill to Marill to Azumarill, Oddish to Gloom to either Vileplume or Bellossom…"

"Impmon, Boogeymon, Phelesmon, Beelzemon, Beelzemon Blaster Mode…" Each of them continued reciting facts of their favorite animes and sifting through cards for a minute more, until Carmen's snoring broke the slow motion. They all noticed this at the same time, but Tabitha was the first to stand up from her seat and speak.

"Huh. How can she sleep at a time like this?"

"Not only that, but she holds those foodstuffs as if they're living babies or something," Dana added.

"Speaking of food, my stomach feels like an alien planted its egg and the larva is biting and clawing at my membrane walls," Laurel said.

"Mine too," Yuri agreed, "Let's go sneak around and see what we can round up." The others leaped off their seats as well.

"Right," Zenith said, "But first, let's take off our shoes so nobody'll hear us." This action didn't take Yuri as long as the others.

"Where do we put our shoes?" Tabitha asked.

"Right over there," Zenith said, pointing to a table with an old blanket draped over. After the kids piled their shoes underneath, the Shawnee pulled the blanket even further down so as to provide a means of concealment.

"Hope nobody comes down here and steals them," Dana said, "That'd be pretty bad." The group quietly headed up the stairs and upon the deck, searching high and low for signs of food. They hedged aside and saw a mess of tables with people eating lunch.

"How'll we get any food?" Laurel asked.

"Well, it'd be wrong to steal," Yuri summed up, "And even if we could, there are too many people around. What now?"

Tabitha looked around and thought hard, until her eyes caught sight of an object just lying on the wooden floor. She picked up what revealed to be a wooden rod and showed it to her friends. "I got an idea: Let's go fishing." So rather than steal other peoples' food, the kids searched for more objects to turn the rod into a fishing pole. The three remaining searches rewarded them with string, fishing bait, and a paper clip Laurel conveniently bent into a hook. Yuri tied the string onto the rod and hook, thereby connecting the objects. To top it all off, Dana stuck the bait on end, and the group returned to the room below. After the kids put their shoes back on, Zenith opened a nearby window and tossed the string into the churning waters and waited patiently.

"Whaddaya suppose we'll catch?" Yuri asked.

"Hard to say," Zenith answered, "But the trick is to remain quiet and patient. If we hope long enough, maybe our lunch will come to us sooner than we realize." Suddenly, as if lightning struck the ship's hull, the Shawnee felt an abrupt tug on her line. As predicted, a fish found the bait and went for it. "I got something! Quick, help me reel it in!" So the others gathered around and tugged hard, but not too hard. In a matter of minutes, they reeled in the catch and closed the window.

"Ooh!" Laurel declared, "That's a big baby! Though, I can't tell what species."

"An _Oncorhyncus_ _kisutch_, or Coho salmon, if I remember correctly," Zenith determined, "2 to 3 feet in length, Class Osteichthyes, and Order Salmoniformes."

"Well, well!" Carmen declared, having woken up from her nap, "What've you kids got here?"

"A big fish," Dana explained, "Coho salmon, to be specific. And we caught it with our own homemade fishing pole."

"Well now," Carmen said, as she picked up the fish, "I'm starved to pieces. Just you five wait until I carve and fry this up into fish steaks!"

"Let's go wash our hands," Yuri said. After the kids left for a nearby bathroom, Carmen took a machete out of her purse and carefully carved the fish. That done, cooking the fish had yet to occur. By coincidence, a blowtorch lay just right next to the stairs. She took that as well and fried the abnormally large steaks she'd quickly carved out. At that moment, the kids returned from the bathroom, ready to chow down.

"Wow, look at those steaks!" Tabitha exclaimed, "They're the size of belts or something!"

"Eat hearty, kids," Carmen said, "Help yourselves to fresh salmon." The kids accepted the steaks and went back to the same window as before. Whereas everyone above finished lunch, these kids' mealtime was just beginning.

"Ah, I couldn't wait," Dana said.

"Y'know, Dana, I didn't think you or Laurel liked fish," Tabitha realized.

"That is to say, we don't like fish on our pizza," Laurel restated, "Off the pizza, it tastes just fine." So Tabitha shrugged her shoulders and went along with it.

Except for the ship's casual rocking, a half hour passed them by with little fuss. In comparison, they'd only eaten their meals halfway through. "This sure is delicious," Zenith commented, "If only I had some salt and pepper." Soon enough, a wave of nausea swept through the others. Their chewing began slowing to a crawl until they couldn't take another bite. Yuri was the first to hold her belly in pain.

"Ohhhh. I wish I hadn't eaten so much, all of a sudden I don't feel so good."

"You're not the only one," Laurel said, following suit, "**I** wish this boat would stop rocking." Dana and Tabitha nodded their heads in agreement. Zenith smiled to her friends, completely unaffected.

"Oh, can't take it, huh? I'll eat it!" The others eagerly gave her their helpings of fish and held onto their bellies as if taking gunshots from a machine gun. "Delicious! Gimme the high seas!"

"Mmmmm," Tabitha groaned, "I wish I hadn't eaten so much salmon."

"Funny," Zenith continued, "It doesn't affect me. I'm actually feeling left out here." But the tides soon turned on the girl as she eventually joined her friends against the wall. Like the others, Zenith struggled to keep her eyes wide open. One look down at the steaks in her hands sent a bolt of pain zooming through her body, and she plopped them into a bucket of water to the left. By accident, some spilled on Dana's head.

"Hey, watch it."

Yuri's head spun furiously, until she spotted the window and walked over towards it. Then an idea came to her mind. "Hey, c'mere." The others joined up with her. "Maybe some fresh air will do the job." So the Russian opened the window, and an invigorating breeze filled the room. The kids breathed heavily, letting out giant belches alongside. In an instant, their fatigue left them.

"Wow, that air really worked!" Laurel said, "I feel like a million bucks!" Suddenly, as the kids took in another gulp of air, some water splashed across their faces. Just as quickly, Yuri closed the window.

"Well, I think that's enough fresh air for now," Tabitha decided.

The rest of the day passed on smoothly and quietly, with nothing much to do but eat the leftover fish for dinner. Once again, Carmen and her sleep found each other without ease. The kids could only stare on in impressed awe. "Well, she sure can sleep," Dana said.

"No fooling," Yuri agreed, "We better get to sleep ourselves. Don't wanna face an entire audience in a cranky mood." The group broke out toothbrushes and toothpaste and brushed their teeth. But since they traveled so lightly and didn't pack sleepwear, they would simply sleep in their regular clothes (that is, with the due exception of their shoes). This room was loaded for everybody's every need; the kids found five hammocks conveniently stashed on some nearby shelves. As they set them up, Zenith glanced over towards the sleeping crook.

"What a sucker. Let her sleep on hard boxes. We can just swing ourselves to sleep." Of course, crawling into the hammocks was easier said than done. But through some fumbling, the kids managed to successfully situate themselves in place.

"Ahhhh," Tabitha said, stretching her arms and legs, "Now for peace and quiet." And like Carmen, it didn't take the group too long to fall asleep. It had been a long day for them all, even if they barely exerted energy for much of anything. As the ship rocked, so did the kid-filled hammocks. The kids felt the same way as babies lovingly rocked in cradles by their mothers.

Next morning, the sun shone on Zenith's face through the window, causing her to wake up first. In turn, she gently shook Yuri, Tabitha, and Laurel on the shoulder. After stretching, yawning, and focusing straight, the girls stared at Dana and became a bit mischievous. They gathered around and tickled him awake. Laughter was followed by a yawn and sitting up straight. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead," Laurel greeted, "Don't wanna be late for the concert." The Hispanic boy leapt out of his hammock and stood on the floor.

"Aw, whadja do that for? Why didn't you just let me sleep in so I wouldn't know how hungry I was?"

"He's right," Yuri said, "We're out of fish. What'll we do for breakfast?"

"Hey, I know!" Tabitha chimed, "Why don't we eat those strawberries?"

"I suppose," Zenith decided, "But first, let's get freshened up. We've a long day ahead of us." So the group headed back into the bathroom and fixed up their hair. Out came their combs, hair gel, and headwear. That done and out of the way, alongside putting their shoes back on once again, the kids exited the bathroom and walked straight towards the ever-snoozing Carmen. Their noise should've woken her up minutes ago, but she simply lingered in dreamland. Why, her hands couldn't even feel the giant strawberries slipping away with the kids! They set one strawberry down on some other crates, and Zenith gracefully ripped it into several chunks. She passed them out to her friends, and all five of them enjoyed a nice strawberry breakfast.

"Mm, yummy!" Laurel said. But just then, they each bit down on something hard, which they promptly spat out. The kids then picked up what appeared to be museum-quality diamonds and stared in slight amazement as well as minor perplexity.

"Ooh!" Dana declared, "I never heard of prizes in strawberries before."

"Lemme see those a moment," Zenith said. She accepted the other diamonds and placed them down on the crate. The Shawnee then took two and knocked them together, her ears receiving a cling-cling sound. Recalling her geology, Zenith scratched the diamonds against each other and the wood. "Hey, get the other strawberry." Yuri complied and set it up on the crate.

"Hey, I think I see little openings shaped like bottle caps or something," Tabitha noted.

"Allow me," Yuri offered, and she ripped the second strawberry into many chunks as well. Upon this, she uncovered more honest-to-goodness diamonds. The group now knew the truth about their host.

"Uh huh," Zenith noted, "No wonder Ms. Matheny acted so mysteriously." Back in the far corner of the room, Carmen leaned over in her sleep, which brought her out of it. Her drowsiness became shock as she found her hands empty.

"The strawberries!" Carmen glanced over towards the kids in disappointment and anger. It was too late to salvage the strawberries, so she withdrew the same machete as before and snuck up on the group. No way would she let some preteens rat her out!

"Ms. Matheny is actually a crook," Zenith continued, "We're turning her over to the authorities at the next port." The kids stuffed the diamonds in their pockets just as Carmen neared them inch-by-inch. "Now let's hold on to these for safekeeping until we do away with that thief."

"That's what you think!" Carmen retorted.

"That's what I said," Zenith unwittingly responded. But just as quickly, the group recognized the voice and turned around. Was Carmen mad! Having her secret exposed made the crook look as if she slept in a closet. However, Carmen failed to learn that she wasn't dealing with just any kids. That's because other than being the Cardz, the group also knew various fighting techniques for defense in their regular lives.

"You're mad as a rusty tractor on a bad hair day," Laurel commented, "Bad metaphor on my part."

"And a bad idea to meddle in others' affairs," Carmen continued, "Hand over the jewels, and I won't slit your throats open."

"Try and make us," Yuri shot out. The crook thrust her arm forwards only to have her machete smacked aside. And the kids hadn't any intentions of letting Carmen obtain either her weapon or stolen goods. She was shoved around all over the room, making it impossible to throw out even a simple kick. But it all ended as Carmen ran towards Tabitha, receiving an open-door stance into the wall. In the process, the Chinese girl knocked the crook out cold. A security guard rushed downstairs just then, having heard strange noises from the upper deck.

"Alright, what's going on in here?" he asked.

"It's a long story, officer," Dana answered.

Later that morning, having explained everything to the guard and being reunited with Corey Swank, the kids' trip to the nearest stage in uptown Gary also passed by quickly. The boat trip had been exciting, boring, and very strange. But now, things were about to become extremely interesting. In a snap, the kids found themselves backstage staring towards the audience from behind the curtain. Fair or major concert, the group would go down in history from certain people's perspectives. "Well, this is it, children," Ms. Swank said, "Now's your second big break."

"No fooling," Laurel agreed, "Though, what's 'second' mean?"

"Harold told me all about your performance back at Steppenwolf Theater," was the reply.

"Harold," Yuri said, "You mean Mr. Gina?"

"Yep. Well, break a leg!" As with any major stage event, the crowd roared as the kids stepped onstage. The instruments were already set up, so they didn't have to do much. Laurel sat on her chair behind the drums. Dana and Zenith took the zither and synthesizer on either side, respectively. And to top it all off, Yuri and Tabitha stepped up to the microphone and introduced themselves as well as their group members.

"Hello, everyone," Yuri started off, "My name is Yuri. This is our band, Explosion Illusion."

"And my name is Tabitha. This first song is a little number we like to call 'Uptown Chicago'." More cheers rang from the crowd. Yuri and Tabitha gave the others the signal to start strumming up their instruments. Back in Chicago, their families watched it all on TV, and some even removed tears from their eyes. Oh, how this group was growing up so fast!

The End


	20. 32: Power Of Imagination

The kids were growing up so fast, not even Kensho and Akira recognized them anymore. Alongside battling Chicago's criminal empire and training for battle, they also formed their own band recently. Their individual schedules practically grew alongside them. Of course, everyone retains something from earlier in life. Spring Break ended a long time ago, and school reigned supreme over all students once again. In class that day, the group had finished the work their teacher Lillian Nekron gave them and decided to pass the rest of the time away by drawing some imaginary characters. But the minute school let out, they'd get back to urban and suburban patrol. "It sure feels nice to unleash the stuff in my head," Tabitha commented.

"No fooling," Dana agreed, "I haven't done this in a good while." On paper, the kids each expressed a single solitary individual without a background. Zenith's sheet articulated some blob-shaped figure made entirely of mud. Yuri drew a dark-haired Superman wannabe: blue suit with red 'D' enclosed in a yellow thunderbolt-shaped triangle; red cape; gray gloves; and brown footwear resembling tennis shoes. Tabitha tried her hand at a globe with a humanoid body and diamond-shaped eyes located acutely across from each other. Laurel went out of the ordinary for once and drew some girl with messy gold hair, an orange sleeveless shirt, and dark-blue pants that covered even her feet. This character had a disoriented face, toes shaped as fingers, and an anvil in one hand. And finally, Dana's art exhibited a spiky-haired girl wearing a jacket, sleeveless shirt, short skirt, and boots in the colors of red, orange, and yellow. Plus, she held flames in her hands. When the kids finished up, they showed their drawings to each other.

"Whaddaya think of my guy?" Yuri asked, "I call him Danath."

"Nifty," Zenith said, "What's he do?"

"He's got super strength, can fly faster than the speed of sound, and shoots laser beams from his arms. And those beams are enough to level 50 city blocks. Danath can do just about anything, and he's not even a robot!"

"Wow!" Tabitha said, "Mine is Spindexter. And yes, he's a globe. Spindexter pops his head off and flings it at whatever or whoever tries to hurt him. It spins quicker than a whole squad of squid, or something."

"My turn," Dana piped up, "I call her Flare. And by the looks of it all, you can tell that she wields the power of fire just like that one elemental Leatherhead. She's able to withstand as well as process a temperature of more than a million degrees Celsius."

"Sweet," Laurel commented, "With that hairdo, it almost looks as if you created your own Super Saiyan 3. But anyways, I call mine Anvilus. I'm the jock of this group, but I decided to do something opposite of myself for once. This bad girl's got a bag full of tricks, what with all those anvils she pulls out and tosses and also eats. Not only that, but her body' has the consistency of a cartoon character."

"How about you, Zenith?" Yuri asked.

"By all means. My character goes by the name Mudmouth. She's compiled entirely of mud, making her a formidable adversary. Believe me, when it comes to characters made of liquid substances, it's pretty difficult to defeat them."

"Too bad we can't send these to a toy manufacturer and get them turned into action figures," Laurel said, "Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"But we'd have to first send them to a TV station so they could get their own show," Tabitha said, "I see good things in that!"

"Think either place would accept?" Dana asked. But before anybody answered his question, the school bell rang and snapped them out of their little trance. Immediately, the students all exited the room.

"Bye, everybody!" Lillian called, "See you tomorrow, weather permitting!" Other kids rushed straight to their houses and either watched television, played video games, did homework, etc. But other matters kept one particular group busy. Did they have lessons? Music practices? No, it was their regular patrols which they'd slacked over lately. Zenith, Yuri, Tabitha, Laurel, and Dana wasted not a second and met at the corner of Polk St. after depositing their backpacks at and walking Nadir home. Time to resume regular town cleanup.

"Are you ready?" Zenith asked.

"I see no observers around," Laurel noted.

"Then let's go." The group leapt behind a clump of bushes and converted into the Cardz with the usual clones. Pokéskid, Digiball, Duel Dune, Tenku, and Captor Corporal replaced that group of mild-mannered children and flew off into the more urban areas. Upon departure, the lights signifying the transformations had slightly disturbed a couple in their happy home.

"Whaddaya suppose that was?" the man wondered.

"Probably just some crazy kids fooling around with flashlights," the woman guessed.

In a place like Chicago, crime never sleeps. That's one reason why most people living in major cities can't live even one happy day no matter what. For at that very moment, a quintet of punks (black leather clothing, chrome jewelry, etc) split in different directions and took up various jobs; crime jobs, that is to say. Nobody knew how to address some of them except by the nicknames they bestowed upon themselves. Grin, labeled that due to the large smile on her face, attempted a robbery on a closed store. When nobody was looking, Grin picked up a brick and tossed it straight into the front window. Unfortunately for the absent owners, how could she set off any alarms if none had been installed in the first place? However, before Grin made a move, her face turned from glad to doomed as Tenku instantly appeared on the scene. "Trying to make off with someone else's property, I presume?"

Grin began stuttering. "Uh…of course not!"

"Oh, really? Then what's with all the broken glass?" Grin looked back at the mess nervously.

"Um…I just found it like this."

"Nice try." Tenku took her hand and placed some energy into it, which the delinquent stared at confusingly. "I'd use that energy quickly to put the window's pieces back together before the cops arrive. And don't even think about using it against me." Grin reluctantly acknowledged and began combining the glass pieces like a jigsaw puzzle.

Elsewhere at a busy market, a girl by the name of Joy hid with a blowtorch in hand. She glanced around diligently and attempted burning everything around. "All clear. Now for some fireworks…" The girl would've succeeded if the next words hadn't caused her to stumble.

"Watery card."

Joy stopped in place and moved her head in all directions. "Who's there?" Captor Corporal greeted her with a torrent from his hands that not only soaked the girl thoroughly but also rendered her blowtorch useless. Joy tried igniting it again but ended up tossing it away in vain. She then faced her attacker only to back away in fear. "Where did you come from?"

"My parents," was the reply, "Arson is a major infraction in my book, and if I were you, I'd blow the scene right this second."

"Sure, no problem." Joy sped off into the shadows knowing that she wasn't dealing with just anybody.

In an alleyway on Peterson Ave., two teenagers known as Danath (not yet confused with Yuri's drawing) and Speck tortured a pair of innocent children. "Leave us alone!" the girl cried.

"Not until you hand over your lunch money," Speck replied.

"We don't have any!" the boy cried.

"Gee, that's too bad," Danath taunted. But a light in the form of Pokéskid and Digiball shone down in the dark alley. The two landed in front of the attackers and victims, ready to fight for justice.

"You let those children go, or we won't be responsible for your medical bills," Pokéskid threatened. Strangely enough, Danath and Speck were too dense to see whom they were up against. Otherwise, they'd make like their friend Joy and leave the premise.

"Oh, I feel so scared," Speck retorted, "And what if we don't feel like it?"

"Poison Ivy!" Before the punks could react, Digiball sprouted purple vines from her fingers and tied them in place. As with any ordinary human being, the punks' struggling proved futile.

"Kids, you should get out of here right now," Pokéskid instructed, "What's about to happen will give you nightmares if you stay." The kids nodded in reply and ran away. "Razor Leaf!" Masses of sharp leaves hit the poor punks, giving them a painful experience.

"Ooch! Ouch! Ack!"

Digiball retracted her fingers to double-team with Pokéskid. "Stamen Rope!"

"Vine Whip!" Alas, this double assault proved too much for Speck and Danath, so they ran off as quickly as their legs carried them.

Elsewhere on an extremely busy street, a boy named Alvin attempted something that didn't last longer than ten seconds. He spotted an apparently wealthy woman at least thirteen feet away intending harm. Alvin ran towards her as quickly as possible, being slowed down by other people in his way. Ironically, just as it looked like a clear trail from there, Duel Dune's foot came in contact and tripped him up. Alvin stood back up and tried finishing his course, only to find the Mandarin hero glare down at him from high up. He simply smiled and backed away from the woman, who remained oblivious to the entire situation.

As day faded into night, the Cardz regrouped above the Sears Tower and discussed the patrols. "Well, I think that just about does it for today," Duel Dune said, "I'm ready to hit the sack."

"No fooling," Tenku agreed, "I could use forty winks myself right about now." Unintentionally, the Cardz jammed their hands into their pockets to withdraw the same pictures they drew in class earlier that day and admired what they considered true works of art.

"Huh," Pokéskid commented, "I never would've guessed we forgot to leave these at home."

"They sure are something else," Captor Corporal admitted, "This is definitely going in the photo album." Suddenly, an abrupt gust pushed the Cardz aside and caused them to lose grip on the drawings. The wind carried them off into the bowels of the night.

"Great," Digiball commented, "So much for something to look back upon. I doubt we'll ever get those back."

"Maybe we can," Pokéskid said, "But not tonight. Let's go home."The heroes teleported themselves back to their neighborhood on Polk St. But were the drawings truly long gone? Nope! Each piece of paper flew a confused course, until a tentacle from below snatched them down. That tentacle belonged to none other than the Cardz' (as well as Chicago's) main enemy, Jenga. As usual, Wave stood by her side.

"Well, well," Jenga noted, studying the drawings, "I never guessed the Cardz had spare time to draw portraits of the imaginary."

"They are kids after all," Wave said, "Let's bring 'em to life!" So the duo placed the papers on the ground and unleashed life-giving gases upon them. The papers glowed momentarily and tried coming alive. It seemed to work for the first minute, only to fail miserably the next. A strange motion indeed, considering how well they were able to animate a sticker two assaults ago. "I don't get it, Mom. Why're they stubborn?"

"For once, I'm stuck without a clue. Apparently, these are so special that they require hosts in order to survive. Analogous to a mushroom growing out of an ant's carcass, I'm sure."

"So who's gonna have their powers?" Who indeed was the question.

As Jenga and Wave pondered the dilemma, a certain group of punks returned to an old apartment building they considered home, one by one. Each took up a comfy spot on some worn couches and sulked at their earlier humiliation. "Another loss, I take it?" Speck questioned.

"Oh yeah," Alvin answered, "I can't believe that little red-haired twit of a superhero stopped me with just one trip."

"Tell me about it," Joy commented, "I'm still soaking wet from my experience at that market."

"I miss the old days," Danath mentioned, "Back then, we and the other boys and girls ran the joint with an iron fist."

"Yeah," Grin agreed, "But ever since those costumed twerps appeared on the scene, we can't catch a break anymore." Everybody within the room nodded in agreement and laid back, stretched out, and relaxed. Alvin and Grin rested their eyes while everyone else's darted continuously across the room. The day's various humiliations weighed heavily on them. J oy shivered a bit due to the soaking received earlier, but the sticky heat in the room eased her some. Silence filled the building for at least ten minutes until Danath broke it all. He stood up, and his next words broke Grin and Alvin from their miniature slumber.

"That does it. I've had it up to here."

"Oh, thanks for spoiling the tranquility," Speck retorted.

Danath faced her momentarily with vengeance in his eyes. "You're the leader of this outfit, right? Then start acting like one. I'm sick of getting pushed around by some grade-schoolers in fancy costumes. I want power. Authority. Riches beyond my wildest dreams."

Grin stood up next. "Me too. No way am I letting some three-eyed dimwit muss me up. I needa teach her a lesson in jigsaw!"

"Me too!" Alvin and Joy chimed. The gauntlet was thrown, and all eyes lay on the sitting-still Speck.

"Well, whaddaya say?" Danath asked.

Speck stood up as well and got in his face. "**I** give the orders around here. Never forget that."

"Fine," Alvin commented, "Command us."

"I will. What're we all standing around for? Let's go give those Cardz a piece of our minds!" In seconds flat, the punks headed straight out of the building and walked on down the street. It mattered not how late anyone's clocks struck, for these delinquents were practically scouring around in their natural habitat. But only Speck knew where they'd go.

"So where're you takin' us?" Grin asked.

"There's only one creature in town who can give us what we need."

"No way!" Joy exclaimed, "You don't mean…?"

"Yep. I'm talkin' about the queen, who goes by the name Jenga. Don't see why not since we're already kin to her."

"But we don't even know where she's hiding," Danath said.

"Actually, I do. I ain't team leader fer nothin'. We just gotta go several paces across town till we see a beat-up building on Mannheim Rd."

"But there are several beat-up buildings on Mannheim Rd.," Wave announced, stepping into view. Not long after the conversation with her mother, the teenage mutant decided to go out and search for volunteers to try out for the latest monsters. At this very second, she knew she'd accomplished the mission.

"Hey, I know you!" Grin familiarized, "You're Wave!"

"That's correct. It feels good to be recognized."

"Enough chatter, Wave," Danath demanded, "Take us to yer mom so she can give us superpowers."

"Funny you should mention that," Wave responded, "We just came up with an experiment, and here I am searching for five volunteers."

"Look no further," Speck said, "You've just hired a complete cast. Now take us back ta yer hideout."

"How much do you want these powers?"

"We'll do anything!" Alvin declared, "Whatever your mom wishes of us, we'll do it in a heartbeat." That sentence must've done the job. Wave unleashed a signal from her audible throat, causing her mother to drive up to the spot three seconds after it ended. The door automatically opened and welcomed the passengers inside.

"Climb aboard," Jenga said, and that's exactly what all six teenagers did.

After arriving at the hideout, both sides familiarized themselves even further. Jenga and Wave listened to the punks' story, and the two were only happy to help. "C'mon, superpowers!" Joy said, "What've we gotta do?"

"Nothing much, actually. First of all, I want you to submit yourselves to my authority. I want you five to admit that I'm your general and mistress. Do I make myself clear?" Of course, that didn't take very long. The punks gave the bus-headed diamond a highly enthusiastic thumbs-up. "I'm glad to hear it. Now let's proceed." Jenga had the five line up, as she withdrew the drawings and set one in front of each punk's feet. After that, more gases caused a successful chain reaction. Each drawing came to life and possessed the teens, mutating and transforming them. The following then stood in their place: Speck; Mudmouth, Danath; Danath, Joy; Flare, Grin; Anvilus, and Alvin; Spindexter.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a whole new person!" Alvin answered, "Call me Spindexter!"

Grin, or rather Anvilus, wiggled around just as Laurel drew her. "Ha ha hoo hah hee hee hah! I'm Anvilus!"

"The name's Flare. Let's see that boy put out these flames!"

"And I'm Mudmouth!"

Danath inspected his new physique. "Huh. For some reason, I feel like keep my regular name." The punks then faced Jenga.

"You have powers now, but you lack the skills to control them. Tomorrow morning, we begin a brief training routine." The punks saluted to their master, ever confident in themselves. As the kids slept peacefully, little did they know how explosive tomorrow would be for them.

The next day, school passed the kids by with little fuss. But at the same time, Jenga and Wave didn't spare a nanosecond training the superpowered punks. And what better way to do such than various rounds far out of town with an entire armada of Leatherheads? As Akira and Kensho trained and supervised the Cardz way back when, so did the mother-daughter couple to these delinquents. "Focus!" Jenga instructed, "It's not smart to rush recklessly!"

"Be at your best!" Wave encouraged, "Feel the burn!"

Hours passed as the sun stood over the mountains at an angle of 18º. The punks had trained to their limits and felt ready to take on the entire world. "Cool!" Anvilus commented, "I feel like a billion bucks! What now?"

"Whatever you like," Jenga encouraged.

"Aye aye, captain!" the punks saluted. With that, they charged towards the buildings ready to devastate. Of course, tearing up roads jutting into the city and knocking off any nearby vehicles delivered the message quicker than expected.

On Polk St., the kids had just gotten out of school minutes ago and discussed past battles. "You remember that one experience against Bammer?" Yuri said, "If I recall correctly, I mentioned something about going even further than what we demonstrated that time."

"There's a thought," Laurel agreed, "I'm sure if I tried hard enough, I could use the powers of Dragonball GT and go Super Saiyan 4. I'd be a nightmare to reckon with!" Then came the predictable noises.

"Go figure," Zenith commented, "If I had a nickel for every moment those sounds hit our ears, I'd be rich by now. It's plain to see the city's crooked natives are restless again." The group looked to all directions before running off.

In downtown Chicago, the punks laid waste to everything in sight. Mudmouth flooded the streets in a sedimentary torrent. Danath powered up his fists, took a step forward, and unleashed energy blasts that leveled small buildings. Spindexter popped off his globe head and spun it around, creating violent whirlwinds that tossed large vehicles about. It also bounced about and made huge craters in the pavement. Anvilus simply acted as herself and tossed anvils here and there. Flare crafted up fireworks just as she promised. Police and military merely provided cover fire for evacuees. Push finally came to shove when their procedures caused a tall building full of people to lean and eventually fall over; that's when the Cardz made the scene. Tenku grabbed onto the building, allowing Pokéskid to make repairs. "Heal Bell!" But the punks didn't actually take notice until Digiball, Duel Dune, and Captor Corporal gave them a piece of their minds.

"Windy card!"

"Noxious Nostril Gust!"

"Giga Cannon!" These blasts barely damaged the punks, but it at least caused them to cease the mindless destruction. Upon repairing the building, Pokéskid and Tenku regrouped with the others and prepared for a face-off.

"Oh, look who it is," Mudmouth sneered, showing little concern.

"It doesn't take x-ray vision to figure out whom you are," Tenku said, "Never guessed you creeps were in cahoots with each other."

"Or that Jenga and Wave snatched our drawings and brought them to life through you," Duel Dune added.

"You got lucky last time, but the four-leaf clover's on our side now," Flare shot out. That done, the punks threw the towel and charged straight for the Cardz. Facing Mudmouth, Pokéskid lived her own words as she fought the same liquid entity she conjured up.

"Hydro Pump! Water Pulse!" But Mudmouth simply swallowed the water and gave the Shawnee a mouthful of sediments. "Eruption!" That attack worked for three seconds before the muddy biped splattered Pokéskid even harder than before.

"No smoking!"

Digiball had her own hands full as she faced Danath, who proved himself her equal in every possible way. "River Of Power!" But he shrugged it off and smashed his fists all over her body. "Wing Blade! Desperado Blaster!" It seemed no matter what the Russian threw out, the Superman wannabe either remained without so much as a scratch or retaliated with his owns blasts.

"Pathetic."

Duel Dune hadn't any easier a time, what with Spindexter tossing and spinning his head about. Oftentimes, it would smack the Mandarin girl, thereby causing damage. "Ow! Hold still, you little retard! Divine Ring!" But the attack missed miserably.

"You can't catch me! I'm the globe man!"

"I said hold still! Ookazi! Dark Magic!"

And what of Tenku and Anvilus? Their fight started with a staring manner and approach until anvils appeared in the latter's hand. "Hee hee hee hee!" Anvilus tossed her weapons at her Kenyan opponent, who reacted just as quickly and dodged the objects.

"Evil Containment Wave!" But the seemingly disoriented punk swiveled her body to the side, and the attack levitated a loose chunk of sidewalk instead. Anvilus stuck her tongue out at Tenku, arousing a major reaction. "That does it! Super Saiyan 3!" The Kenyan's hair grew long, spiky, and yellow, and she glowed in a yellow aura. "Kaio-ken times 20!" A red aura replaced the yellow one, but her hair stayed the same. Tenku charged for Anvilus in hopes of giving the punk a run for her money.

At the same time, Captor Corporal faced Flare's extra-hot wrath. "Earthy card! Wave card!" But Flare dodged those attacks and hit the Hispanic hero back with flame streams from her arms. "Watery card!" However, these flames were hot enough to reduce the water to steam and eventually engulf Captor Corporal. "Augh!"

"Too bad, so sad. Water can't stop these flames, you dope!" All in all, the Cardz failed as the punks rendered their powers useless. They weren't merely fighting superpowered delinquents, but ones using powers the heroes themselves conjured up. It came down to one move as the punks took their respective opponents by the shirt collars and tossed them far out of town. Five deep implosions dotted the countryside.

"Outta sight!" Anvilus declared, "Didja hear that!"

"That was easier than I thought," Danath assumed.

"That's what you think!" Mudmouth reminded, "The mistress told us they've faced a lot worse, so there's a good chance they could've survived that. Let's go check out the damage just to make sure." So the punks sped off towards the outskirts.

Meanwhile, the Cardz picked themselves up off the ground and wondered what to do next. "Now how do we beat them?" Tenku asked, "That cartoon character I drew switched my Super Saiyan 3 and my Kaio-ken off like they were no different than a light switch!"

"I can't take any more of this myself!" Captor Corporal agreed, "But what're we gonna do?"

"Exactly what Digiball mentioned months back," Pokéskid answered, "We're gonna go further than before. Team, it's time to advance to our definitive edges!" So the Cardz focused their individual energies into their hearts and glowed ten times brighter than the sun. It was at that very moment the punks soon made the scene.

"See, what'd I tell ya?" Mudmouth said, "They're still alive!"

"And they look a little weird," Spindexter noted. Suddenly, the bright flashes blinded the punks momentarily and caused them to stand still. Lightning struck down from the sky, and seismic disturbance shook the ground and air alike. It also affected anyone and everyone residing in various parts around the world. Cats growled, dogs howled, lions roared, foxes ran about furiously, and oceans simmered like stew in a kettle. The Cardz were transforming to their highest forms yet!

Images of storms and roaring Pokémon from all over the franchise's universe clouded Pokéskid's head. Above her posterior grew a Mew tail. Said Pokémon's projection stood behind her watching vigilantly. Every single Pokémon known cried out as if cheering the warrior on. Light flashes mostly blue and pink courtesy of Mew and Mewtwo replicated the all-out showdown from Mewtwo Strikes Back.

Digiball experienced a digital tornado large enough to crush the Great Digimon Angels. Four ultra-powerful Digimon surrounded her, turned into energy beams, and became part of her. Digiball now bore an Omnimon cape, the chest armor of Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, Gallantmon Crimson Mode helmet, and Susanoomon arms and legs.

The three Egyptian God Monsters swarmed about Duel Dune as if they heard her call out to them. Once she absorbed them, the girl gained something rather unexpected. Her dress expanded even more and grew a sort of cape. Brass armor shaped like the Winged Dragon Of Ra and with massive wings covered most of Duel Dune's body. The four cyan orbs on chest, each shoulder, and above forehead confirmed her imitation of Creator Of Light Horakhti (something which she had yet to witness in the Yu-Gi-Oh anime).

Tenku powered up to the three levels of Super Saiyan for the purpose of getting off to a good start. Like Goku going against Majin Boo, the female warrior dug deep into her power. In her mind, she transformed into a Golden Saiyan Ape and rampaged across a wasteland. The physical outside was a different story, however: Her hair shrunk and turned jet black; she grew red fur on her torsal region and a red tail to boot; and her eyes gained red circles around and faded into yellow.

"Key of the stars, with powers burning bright! Reveal the staff, and shine your light! Release!" Sakura Kinomoto said the magic words to activate her wand and transform the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards. Feeling their transformation, the only male member gained an emblem of a star flanked by sun and moon on his shirt's chest. The outfit itself became a male version of the Hope card's white flowing garment, topped with the blue wrist gemstones; light-blue, wing-shaped shoulder pads with gem; further gems on Captor Corporal's forehead and hat (the latter having the same emblem carved in); and real angel wings from the back of his head.

"What's going on around here!" Flare yelled. When the light died down and the cataclysms ceased, the punks did a double take on the heroes. With all-new physiques and deep glares, one might get the notion that an artist redrew them! Pokéskid was the first to speak out.

"Mew would like a word with you."

"Whew!" Flare declared, "I don't recall them being this ugly!"

"What of it?" Danath said, ever firm, "So they changed their costumes. Big deal, I'm not scared of them."

"You should be," Digiball threatened.

The punks jolted at that message. "Did you hear that?" Anvilus said, "That's not funny!" Provoked yet again, both sides charged forwards for a rematch. But this time, the Cardz gained the upper hand.

"Ice Beam!"

"Transcendent Sword!"

"Almighty Hand Impact!"

"Galick Gun!"

"Snow card!" Extra-quick reflexes and mightier powers told the entire universe what kind of force the Cardz were to be reckoned with. The creeps got sent flying for a loop only to come back for more. But sooner than anybody realized, the fight would end.

"I'm tired of this!" Mudmouth announced, "It's time to finish the job!" She gathered up as much mud as possible in her arms and opened fire upon her floating opponent. But within the mud, Pokéskid put up a bubble and focused. "Metronome! ...Shadow Ball!"

Shadows gathered into both hands pained the sedimentary lowlife, thereby releasing the hero who glowed pink. "Nice night light, moron! Time for beddy-bye!" Mud streams came Pokéskid's way but dispersed against the barrier. "Stupid!" Mudmouth tried harder.

"I'm bored. Psychic!" Mew's signature beam cut through the mud easily and blew the punk up.

"AAUGGHHH!"

Meanwhile, Digiball followed suit and decided to end her brawl with Danath. She flew up high, took aim, and combined Omnimon and Imperialdramon PM's best attacks. "Supreme Cannon! Giga Crusher!" As Danath fired his own energy, Digiball's combined blasts dispersed it and knocked him into a dazed state. "Final Justice!" A third blast from Gallantmon CM's sword hit the punk squarely in the chest. And to conclude it all, Digiball then unleashed Susanoomon's wrath. "Heaven's Thunder!" Several yellow blasts engulfed the poor jerk.

"UGH!"

Duel Dune finally got the best of Spindexter by grabbing his head and making fissures with her fingers. Duel Dune then used head-butted it off aside and blasted his body using her wings. Spindexter put himself back together, but the Chinese fighter never gave him the chance to catch his breath. She smacked her fists together and split into three distinct copies each representing a God Monster via a specific body part/s: Obelisk The Tormentor's arms; Slifer The Sky Dragon's tail; and the Winged Dragon Of Ra's wings. "Your time is up, Spindexter!" Same as the real McCoys to Pegasus Crawford, each copy fired from their mouths and so severely punished the poor globe.

"OUCH!"

In the fourth fight, the tides had seriously turned against Anvilus. One minute Super Saiyan 4 Tenku stood in straight sight, only to land a heavy punch on the cheek the next. Anvilus' eyes popped out whenever the hero landed an attack anywhere on her person. She tossed as many anvils as she could muster, which got smashed into billions of pieces without causing so much as a flinch. Even busting one directly on Tenku's head proved futile. When that happened, Anvilus could only look up nervously at an unpleased Tenku and realize the sad truth. But it all ended with one word of doom. "Super Kamehameha!" This punk said nothing as the blast consumed her.

Flare's fight with Captor Corporal wouldn't last much longer either. "Illusion card!" It started with the hero creating several illusory copies of himself and surrounding Flare. The punk looked around and blew fire at all of them hoping to at last hit the real one. But the flames passed through each one, and she turned impatient.

"Okay, enough fooling around! Why don't you just attack already?" In response, the copies all gathered energy in their hands and prepared to open fire. This made Flare all the more nervous, as she still couldn't tell the difference between fake and real. "Uhhhhhhh…"

"Power card!" Hearing those words, Flare attempted to put up a protective barrier of flames. But Captor Corporal's multiple blasts cut through that and imploded upon the punk.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

The punks got back up as the light dimmed, regrouped together, and inspected themselves. No longer did they retain superpowers, and no longer could they cause more massive destruction than a nuclear warhead. "No way!" Danath cried, "I'm a wimp again!"

"Me too!" Grin added. But their experiences took a turn for the worse when the police arrived. The creeps could only pout and go along quietly. After retiring their presentations, the Cardz floated down and gladly picked up their drawings from the ground.

"Nice job, kids," an officer complimented, "Don't know how you do it, and I don't know what anybody'd do without you."

"Only happy to help," Captor Corporal responded, "Make sure those rowdies receive the psychiatric help they need."

"Will do," another officer answered, and the Cardz flew off into nowhere in particular.

Later that afternoon, the kids arrived at the card shop not only for lessons but also to share their explosive epic. "We won all because of the very same words Yuri spoke an hour or so after we fought Bammer." Laurel concluded, "And that happened not long before spring!"

"Well, it sounds like you children had quite a day," Kensho said, "And more than usual, at that."

"So, what's in the lineup tonight?" Zenith asked.

"I hear that a tournament of card games will take place shortly in this town," Akira mentioned, "Yours included. Maybe that could be today's lesson." The kids looked to each other and gladly accepted the offer. After all, if they collected cards, why not play the actual games?

The End


	21. 33: We Got Game

Zenith, Yuri, Tabitha, Laurel, and Dana had been collecting their favorite anime cards for at least six years. But merely collecting is exactly all they ever did, because not once did any of them attempt to actually play the games. The only actual card-playing actions relating to any of them came from Tabitha's older siblings Rembo and Tikki. Thinking back to the New Year's incident when the latter suggested making players out of the group, not even the ancient Mayans would've predicted this coming to pass. As a multiple tournament approached Chicago, right after defeating a group of superpowered punks, the kids put aside everything else and brushed up on newfound gaming techniques. Today was the day before the tournament, meaning that every second counted. "You kids sure know your stuff!" Akira complimented, "But are you absolutely certain it'll be enough for the big day tomorrow?"

"You bet!" Tabitha answered, "A trap card here, a magic card there, and that's what it's all about!"

"According to my calculations, we've practiced approximately 36 hours, 25 minutes, and counting," Zenith noted, "Little yet sufficient."

"Tikki and Rembo have reigned as quintuple champions for half a decade," Kensho reminded, "You young ones look very confident."

"And why shouldn't we be?" Laurel asked, "We've studied and mimicked various techniques and discovered some of our own, creating our own playing styles. But don't worry, we're not lettin' it get to our heads." It was amazing how the kids handled a conversation and played their respective games all at the same time.

Elsewhere in the shadows of the city as always, a sinister figure schemed. Who could it be? Chrome jewelry and a familiar-looking ponytail outlined a punk with a vengeful face. Guns outlined her new followers. "Do we venture now?" a voice asked.

"No," a familiar and feminine voice answered, "Just sneak around with me so the fuzz don't catch sight."

"The fuzz?" another questioned.

"The police, I mean. Now follow me." The rest of the day passed peacefully. The kids practiced long and hard before calling it a day and turning in for the night. And what of the mysterious group? What did they have planned for the innocent people around?

Come the next day, kids from around the city and also a few from out of town gathered at an empty warehouse not far off Buckingham Memorial. To the kids' minor delight, the bunch of tournaments included only their own games. Still, they hadn't time to worry about the unfair exclusion. "Think we'll run into your brother and sister here?" Dana asked.

"Yes," Tabitha answered, "Whenever Tikki and Rembo call about coming up to a major event, it's highly unlikely for them to miss out."

"They'd have to give a last-minute extra message saying otherwise in order for their absence to make sense," Yuri noted.

"True," Zenith commented, "Very true." The group walked on up to the registration desk and applied for their respective tournaments.

"Can I help you?" the ticket lady asked.

"We're each here to apply for the card tournaments happening today," Laurel explained, "I'm applying for Dragonball Z."

"Cardcaptor Sakura for me," Dana added.

"Digimon, mind you."

"Pokémon."

"And I've got Yu-Gi-Oh."

"Alright then, kids. Just sign these to make it official." The ticket lady handed each preteen a clipboard to sign their names on. After accepting back the clipboards, she did a double take upon the Yu-Gi-Oh one. "Rebao? As in Tikki and Rembo Rebao?"

"Yep!" Yuri answered, "Our friend Tabitha here is their younger sister."

"Well, I'll be darned! This oughta be interesting!" The kids nodded and continued on down to the main room. Talk about packed! As far as the eye saw, players of almost all ages filled the entire place. There was a low floor with tables and chairs overshadowed by a major stage. Barely anyone existing in the building could tear away from a most exquisite conversation. The kids found Tabitha's siblings no place, so they stepped to a quieter corner and thought diligently.

"How're we gonna find those two in this crowd?" Dana wondered, "I can't tell two heads apart."

"Well…" Zenith began.

"Fancy meeting you here," came Tikki's voice. The kids stopped in shock, turned around, and jumped up. There stood Tikki and Rembo, the undisputed champions of Pokémon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Dragonball Z, and Cardcaptor Sakura. Retaining their usual hairdos, the sibling pair now bore new wardrobes suited for the warm weather. Tikki bore a white jersey, denim shorts, white socks, and black shoes without shoestrings. Rembo was now clad in a sleeveless gray shirt, half of a raspberry button-up shirt, red shorts, white socks reaching almost up to her knees, and ankle-high black boots. Yuri admired them.

"Wow. You two are a regular fashion show."

"Thanks," Rembo replied, "Heard you became a band and performed live in Gary."

"You bet!" Laurel said, "Just call us Explosion Illusion. We let our hearts do the jammin', just as we're about to play our games today."

"Yeah," Tabitha agreed, "But I just realized something: If we beat you both in the end, what're you gonna do afterwards?"

"Rembo and I have major plans for our futures. I'm planning to aid the destitute down in Niger, and she wants to join the Air Force. With this on our hands, we must put aside certain elements that have stuck by our entire lives. This'll be our final tournament."

"But you practically devoted your entire lives to it," Dana said.

"Yes, but there's more," Rembo continued, "It's typically been my lifelong dream to pilot those awesome fighter jets, as has helping poor people been Tikki's. These'll require all of our time, so we can't practice and play cards several hours a week. After this, it's over for us."

"Can we have your decks in that case?" Yuri asked jokingly. The current champs laughed at that.

"But seriously, we won't be giving our cards to anyone," Tikki responded, "Once we're beaten, our cards are getting placed in an anime card hall-of-fame for top-notch players. That also includes the XYZ series." He then leaned near the kids and whispered his next words. "We sure hope the next top-notch players are you."

"And here we thought you two would just keep playing until the end of time," Zenith commented, "In any case, we will become the new champions. We will emerge victorious." J ust then, a tournament official stood in the midst of the crowd and broke the noise.

"Your attention, please!" The voices died in a snap. "Greetings to all, and welcome to the Pokémon-Digimon-Yu-Gi-Oh-Dragonball Z-Cardcaptor Sakura card game tournaments. The first round of the Digimon tournament is due to start in ten minutes, so contestants best prepare themselves immediately. C'mon, sports, let's get the show moving!" The official left the room temporarily as every Digimon card participant organized their decks. Yuri looked quite anxious in contrast to Tabitha's siblings.

"Well, that's me. Wish me good fortune."

"Go get 'em, Yuri," Tikki said as he and Rembo skimmed around for a place to sit and watch.

As the tournaments began, last night's wicked group continued slinking around in the shadows. The leader turned out to be none other than the infamous Beef, whom the Cardz hadn't seen since their experience in the card shop's alleyway. She'd apparently abandoned her old group and united with novice faces. They'd hesitated at first until she threw in a nice dose of sweet-talking, more than ready to carry out her newfound revenge. But she first required Jenga and Wave's help. After much trudging, the evil group eventually arrived at the front door of the Mannheim Rd. hideout. "You sure this is the place?" a follower asked.

"Sure, I'm sure," Beef answered, "Just wait until you meet the queen and princess." Pounding on the creaking door led to its slow opening, startling the followers a bit. "Ah, don't mind the squeaking. That's just the way most doors are." The group walked slowly inside, and a slam caused a jolt. Some had to step upstairs to create enough space for all to move around sufficiently. Just then, everybody spotted just who they'd been looking for. These terrorists were new to Chicago, so it made plenty of sense that they should recoil at the sight.

"Um…are those the ones you call Wave and Jenga?" one stammered.

"Sure are," Beef answered, "Hey, there! How's it been hangin'?"

"Explosive yet slow," Wave answered apathetically.

"Fine by me." Beef neared Jenga. "Fancy meeting you again, diamond."

"Well, if it isn't Beef, who dropped on by from the local insane asylum. How'd you escape?"

"Good behavior," was the response, "Got off early."

"What's the favor?"

"Not even you can begin to imagine how long I've waited to get those fancy-pants brats in the stupid costumes. I got me a new gig with some fresh faces, as you can plainly see. They're a regular tough bunch, they are."

"So why do you need our help?" Wave asked.

"When they last whooped me, I got a good look at the Cardz' exact identities. But a bump on my head while weightlifting back at the asylum scrambled my memory. Though, I do know they're at these anime tournaments near Buckingham Memorial, 'cause those are the same ones they specialize with in their transformations." It was hard telling, but the explanation captivated Wave.

"Basically, they could be anybody," Jenga said, "But with your expertise and resources, this job should be a piece of cake."

"Yeah, but those're some tough brats we're talkin' here. I don't suppose you could give my groupies and me a boost, couldja? A small one should be enough, and we can run business from there." Naturally, it didn't take long for the criminal mother and daughter to accept an offer from anyone who recognized their superiority.

"It's about time we had some action around here," Wave declared, "Stand back, folks! We've got ourselves a gassy gusher!" So the two gassed everyone else in the room and upstairs. The terrorists unwittingly coughed and gasped, believing they'd been poisoned.

"Ack! You tricked us!"

"Quit whining," Beef ordered, "This isn't pesticide or anything. It'll give you powers."

"She's right!" another piped up, "In fact, I feel mightier than a dozen elephants hauling Mt. Everest!" Beef and her terrorist associates glowed the same colors as anyone else receiving powers. It was only a matter of time that day before they struck.

Back at the hall, the tournament approached the end of its preliminary round. Tikki and Rembo already reigned as champions, so they merely sat back and watched their younger sister and her friends work their way up. But both also took time keeping fresh in the diverse games. Even those who lost didn't depart but rather stuck around to spectate. Soon, it all came down to one last move as Laurel undeniably beat the pants off of her final opponent. After that, two competitors from each game – the five friends included – stepped onstage and patiently awaited the next announcer. "Well, we're nearing the tournament's final hours," she spoke, "Let's have a word with one of our contestants." The official walked next to a freckle-faced boy with shades. "Hello, what's your name?"

"Hi, I'm Andrew Wasson."

"So Andrew, how's it feel coming this far?"

"You have no idea. I always wanted to take a crack at taking on the reigning champs."

"Well, you better hope hard." Rembo and Tikki then stood out from behind the curtains. "Hello, champions."

"Hi," Rembo greeted.

"So, I hear this is your final tournament and you're gonna go on to even bigger things. But what if you two still win at the end?"

"That's a good question," Tikki answered, "Somebody's gotta beat us. It wouldn't feel right simply leaving this grandeur behind."

"If you say so." The official turned back towards the audience. "Now it's time for a short break. After that, on to the semi-finals!" Everyone on the stage jumped back down and mingled with the rest while the one quintet and Tabitha's siblings stayed in a corner together.

"That is a good question," Tabitha said, "What will happen if you two win like always?"

"That's what worries us most," Rembo replied, "If we don't find successors, it'll upset what natural balance exists in these competitions."

"How much you two wanna bet it's gonna be us?" Laurel asked.

"Oh, we don't bet," Tikki continued, "But enough about that. Why don't you five go on ahead and mingle with the other card players? Who knows, you might even make some more friends."

Unfortunately, despite the fact that this created bigger personal atmospheres for them, it also drowned out noises from the outside. Beef and her gang wasted no time testing out their new powers. It eliminated the need for any machine guns or machetes anyone continued carrying along. They tossed up cars, uprooted pavement, and caused an overall mess. Civilians, police, and military fled the scene. "This is fun!" a terrorist exclaimed, "I could continue until dusk the very next year!"

"Yeah, but we ain't got time to lose," Beef reminded, "We got ourselves some punk kids to track down. Let's blow this site." The felons quickly departed and headed straight for the area surrounding Buckingham Memorial.

Sad to say, the kids still never heard, saw, or felt anything. The tournament and scintillating conversations kept even their subconscious utterly distracted, Zenith included. The evil group stood near the fountain and stared straight at the tournament hall. "In there?" someone asked.

"You better believe it," Beef confirmed, "But they're there, alright. Let's storm that fortress and teach them who's boss!" Without warning, the building felt the villains' effects. They crashed through the door, walls, and ceiling and brought up a stir. Kids ran around screaming, and tournament officials tried to stop the assault.

"What's the meaning of this? You can't just come barging in here and so forth!" But the officials only met major blows in the gut and face. To halt the commotion, Beef fired several shots up at the ceiling while her hand imitated a gun.

"SHUT UP AND FREEZE!" The kids did exactly as they were told; not even a peep echoed through the halls. Terrorists pushed everyone aside and stashed the adults in nearby closets. Beef then continued with her speech. "Boys and girls, I'm gonna be your host for the remainder of this tournament." It was all the hostages could do to obey.

Hours passed by as police and secret agents swarmed the building and made vain attempts to rescue the hostages themselves. But no matter how many times they tried, the superpowered criminals always smacked them back. Concerned parents tried fighting their way through the police tape, and the news media arrived right on schedule. "Here we are at the same former warehouse not far off Buckingham Memorial," a reporter said, "A group of terrorists has taken innocent children hostage, and their demands are simple: They want the Cardz. But where are those heroes when we need them?"

Back inside, the young competitors fearfully awaited their fate. However, despite the fact that the terrorists now had superpowers, that didn't stop a certain seven from secretly discussing the matter at hand. The terrorists were too distracted watching their modernized leader overlook everything. "What're we gonna do now?" Yuri wondered, "They have us caught between some rocks and a hard place."

"You could transform into the Cardz and kick them around like footballs, but everybody's looking," Tikki noted.

"No, they're not," Rembo pointed out, "Just look at them. The creeps and kids are all like statues. Some may be very close to us, but they're still paying no attention."

"But someone can still see us, in our present situation," Laurel contradicted, "Even cloning's a no-no."

"Wait a second," Zenith realized, "Not if we lower and keep as quiet as possible. And we better hurry up."

Just then, Beef broke the peace and spoke up once more. "Cardz, I know you're in here somewhere. You can't fool me. Why don't we just make this simple and you five show yerselves?" The hostages could only mumble and look around in confusion. No one spoke up. "Chickens! Maybe I should make you come out. 5…4…3…"

"Wait a minute!" someone called out. A female Yu-Gi-Oh participant stepped into the open and made a forged confession. Her hair was as orange as that of Tabitha, though she had darker skin. "Alright, you got me. I'm Duel Dune." More muttering filled the room. Inspired by the girl's courage, four others stood next to her.

"I'm Tenku." As the so-called confessions continued, the noise level increased only by a small margin.

"I'm Captor Corporal."

"I'm Pokéskid."

"And I'm Digiball." Apparently, everyone participating in the tournaments saw the same series of scratch marks the actual Cardz made on the alleyway walls the day they first encountered Beef. Either that, or they'd heard the heroes say each other's names. At that moment, all competitors showed moral courage.

"I'm one of the Cardz, too."

"Me too!"

"And me!" Pretty soon, voices rang so loud that it may as well have been a riot. So far, nobody in the back suspected any mysterious activity occurring closer than realized. A terrorist then stepped on the stage and spoke to Beef.

"It's out of control. They could be anywhere." Beef of course had a simple enough answer for her problem.

"Kill 'em all." At that statement, the brave yelling then turned to screaming. Suddenly, a bright flash in the back caused everyone to look towards it: The Cardz stood revealed! They floated towards the middle of the room and huddled in an action pose, staring everyone else down.

"It's them!" a terrorist exclaimed.

"Wow, this is so cool!" a kid declared, "Seeing the Cardz up close and personal!"

"This has got to be a dream!"

"Somebody pinch me!" Immediately, the terrorists got their guns out and fired away. But after two minutes of shooting, the creeps stopped and stared on in shock. The Cardz had the bullets in their palms and weren't scratched one bit. They then dropped the useless ammunition on the ground. Furthermore, no one suspected the clones about anything.

"You dummies!" Beef scolded, "They can't be hurt by guns!"

"You got that right!" Duel Dune retorted.

"Alright, team!" Pokéskid announced, "Let's show these worthless piles of trash how we do things downtown!" All at once, a new fight broke out. Beef and her terrorist associates used the newfangled powers they gained and did their best to put up a decent fight. But by challenging the Cardz, the scoundrels obviously bit off more than they could chew.

"River Of Power!" Digiball wiped out a whole slew of bad people with MetalSeadramon's signature attack. Back on the outside, everybody heard the tumult and stood silently. Wall-piercing blasts and the tossing out of terrorists caused great shock, though the police didn't hesistate to arrest. After Beef's defeat, all that remained was a collection of Jenga and Wave's gases seeping out of the front door. However, before it could find its next volunteer or victim, Tenku took good care of it.

"Special Beam Cannon!" Several shots of Piccolo's spiral laser dispersed and eradicated the gas despondently. That done and out of the way, the police stampeded into the building and finished the job.

"Freeze!" The remaining terrorists knew they'd been beat, so they went along quietly.

"Time card!" Right after Captor Corporal repaired the joint, the Cardz disappeared into nowhere and left everyone mystified. But of course, only Rembo and Tikki knew better.

Come 4:15 PM, after the police recovered the carefully hidden tournament officials and got them back up and running, the show went on. The semi-finals and finals of each tournament passed the kids on by with little fuss. It all came down to a showdown between Zenith and Rembo. If the younger one successfully beat the older, she'd instantly join the rest of her friends as league champions. But how to surpass Rembo's Moltres? Then it hit her; Zenith withdrew Rayquaza and a few power-ups before it all finally came crashing down on the older one. At long last, the reigning champs, found their successors! Cheers rang hard until the same speaker as before interviewed the seven. "Count 'em five years, and this is how ends! So, how do you two feel now?"

"Couldn't be better," Tikki answered, "From New Year's Eve on up until today, I really did have high hopes for our sister and her little friends. You could call it a historical moment for us."

"One more question," the speaker continued, "Since this is you two's final moment, what's gonna become of your decks?"

"Hall of fame, 'nuff said," Rembo answered.

"Kids, how does it feel to be the new champs of your favorite card games?"

"Words can't describe it," Dana briefly spoke.

"Once again, let's give another round o' sound!" The kids gave a bow in response, and then they and the former champions departed before they could receive any prizes. Walking on down the parking lot and towards Tikki and Rembo's cars, that's when they finally let it all out.

"Wow, I can't believe this!" Laurel declared, "I'm the new Dragonball Z title holder!"

"And I actually won Yu-Gi-Oh!" Tabitha added, "Wait'll Mom and Dad hear about this!"

"Yep," Tikki said, "You five are in for a rousing welcome and a well-deserved treat." Zenith and Laurel rode off with Tikki, and the other three kept Rembo company on the way back to Polk St. At long last, these five preteens became the card players they were born to be.

The End


	22. 34: Her Final Facade

Every time Jenga and Wave unleashed a monster and/or several Leatherheads upon Chicago, the Cardz were always around to restore peace and order. And with each passing battle, as Jenga said before, the mutant duo's power increased for every monster they created, which included giving powers to ordinary humans, animals, or objects. Kensho and Akira tutored the Cardz while Jenga did her daughter. The only difference is that Wave became more and more impatient as the days passed on by. But there was no other way, for the two's energy always drained away whenever they themselves clashed with the heroes. Not long after the kids became superb card players, they temporarily broke away from both card skills and music sessions and returned to their lessons with Akira and Kensho. On this particular day, the adults paused in the middle of the lesson in silent discomfort. What was on their minds? "What's wrong?" Zenith asked, "What do you feel?"

"Danger," Akira answered. The kids looked towards each other in bafflement and could only shrug. These two adults had lived quite a while and so could feel what was yet to come.

Meanwhile, at Jenga's hideout on Mannheim Rd., she and Wave channel-surfed for inspiration of the next monster they'd create. Of course, the latter had doubt in her eyes. "Wave, pay attention!" Jenga reminded, "We must both search for ideas for a new monster. Don't dawdle." That may have snapped Wave out of her delirium, but she also finally found the courage to speak her next words.

"Mom, I can't take any more of this."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean I'm tired of sending others to fight the Cardz for us. What kind of villains are we? True villains face their enemies straight up!"

"I already made it clear to you before, young lady. We will get our chance to have it at the Cardz, but only when our powers reach pinnacle. And to do that, we must create monsters. Besides, doing such gives us the chance to study how those brats battle."

"We've been studying forever. Their voices are already inside our heads, so to speak. We can just go out on patrol, study every brat we find, and attack 'em before they transform...like we should've done at those tournaments. How stupid can we get? Or, someone can patrol for us without superpowers and...or...you get what I mean."

"Our exploits are more than just training. Ruling a world takes painstaking research on multiple levels: politics, adaptation, endurance, the works. No one can attack the Cardz using their ordinary strength. And tell me, what would become of us or anyone if the fuzz took advantage of our weak conditions? We wouldn't escape in time. I know the Cardz are hiding something."

"Oh, my bad. I guess those defective gases mutated your judgement, too."

"Watch it, young lady."

"Mom, I feel strong enough. We've made plenty monsters as is. I wanna go hurt them now!" Jenga stared momentarily at Wave, before turning around and switching off the TV calmly. She faced her daughter again and seemingly complied to the whining.

"Perhaps yer right. Maybe we've reached the peak of our powers already. Maybe it came without us suspecting a thing."

Wave couldn't believe her eyes or ears. "You mean it?" Jenga shook her head yes, and Wave looked bewildered. No way! she thought, I can't believe a few words convinced her! But when the audible mutant stared up, she received a cloud of nitrogen dioxide in the face from her diamond mother. Coughing it out of her alimentary canal, Wave dispersed it with her sound waves and razor-sharp fingers. "What was that for?"

"You're inexperienced, so you wouldn't know deception if it hit you in the Adam's apple. If you actually fell for my sweet talking, what makes you think you'll be ready to stand up against the Cardz?"

"A minor setback! They don't use techniques like that! All they ever do is punch, kick, and rely on their little TV shows to help them!"

"I've been up and down these streets as well as those of Detroit, and my experiences have made me smart as well as strong. That explains why I know my limits. You are not fighting the Cardz at present, and that's final. I won't hear any more of this." With that, the two went back to studying the television screen. For a minute, Wave narrowed her eyes at Jenga, wanting nothing more than to break away and do her own thing. To her mother's dismay, such may very well come soon.

After the day's lesson that evening, the kids headed for home as always. It was a warm and beautiful night, so the group decided on walking back rather than taking a taxicab or bus. Even if some crook appeared and tried doing them harm, the kids would defend themselves as well as each other. But they couldn't get off of their minds what bothered their senseis so. "That had to have been the slowest lesson since those two found out they're in love with each other," Laurel commented, "Whaddaya suppose is up?"

"Yeah, no fooling," Tabitha agreed, "They already confessed their feelings in front of us together. I can't see what'd bother 'em now."

"I don't believe it's their love life," Zenith said, "Exactly how long have we battled two certain mutant creeps and every lowlife in town?"

"Since a few days before 6th grade," Yuri answered, "September, October, November…and it's May right now. Nine straight months."

"Hope it doesn't continue into summer vacation," Dana added, "The last thing we need is a break ruined by our superhero duties."

"You said it!" Tabitha put in, "Remember our Spring Break? I think we were just fortunate that week."

"We've had it easy before," Laurel reminded, "Rememeber the time between when Cyclone and Face showed their ugly mugs."

"And yet, it's still merely the calm before the storm," Zenith finished, "Perhaps Akira and Kensho predicted Wave and Jenga's ultimate attack. We've got ourselves some dark days ahead of us, no doubt." The Native American girl's statement completed the conversation. For the rest of the walk home, no one spoke another word.

Chicago fell silent throughout every one of its city blocks. People settled down to sleep, excited at not knowing what tomorrow had in store. But one individual bore insomnia: Wave. Still affected greatly from the argument with her mother earlier, Wave sat in the darkness of her room and plotted. Once and for all, she'd get the Cardz herself. Five hours passed on by until the metal mutant stood up from her bed and snuck towards the first floor. Passing by Jenga's room, she noticed her bus-headed mom snoring pretty loudly. Wave continued down the stairs and neared the entrance. In another room, a pair of Leatherheads heard everything and marched downstairs to investigate. Wave moved quickly so as to avoid capture, smacked open the door, and disappeared into the night. The Leatherheads already saw her despite being too late to act. Just then, an awake Jenga's shadow loomed over. "We apologize that we couldn't stop her just now," one Leatherhead said.

"Shall we pursue?" the other asked.

"No," Jenga answered, "Just let her go. A lesson must be taught." So she went back to sleep, and the pair returned to their waiting room.

Deep within the pitch dark of the night, Wave ran all the way to Portage Park too anxious to put up her shields. But few heard her huffing, puffing, and footsteps anyway, security guards included. Those who did snored louder. Not even the Des Plaines River slowed her down. Upon arriving in the park, Wave stopped a moment to catch her breath. "Patrols will take too long. Where should I start looking?" Then it hit Wave. "Wait. I know someone who can give me a clue." Immediately, the mutant squinted her eyes and concentrated hard. Telepathic waves emitted from her head and traveled over a mighty distance towards a prison not far out of city limits.

Within the prison, the waves reached another insomniac: an old ally, Beef. "Huh? What's the deal?"

-Beef, this is Wave.-

"Wave? That can't be right, I don't see you anywhere. I'm hearin' things."

-It's telepathy.-

"Oh, right. What can I do ya for?"

-You're the only one who's seen the Cardz unmasked. Get my drift?-

"I already told you that a bump to my noggin wiped my memory clean. I don't know who they are anymore. And even then, I never got their names, so it wouldn't help much anyhow."

-Every little bit helps, Beef. Just concentrate! You should remember something.-

"I'll try." Beef squeezed her eyes shut and thought long and hard. The aforementioned accident really took its toll on her, but she managed to throw out at least one description. "Well, I remember seeing some little girl with orange hair and in a blue dress or something. And her hair was tied in stupid little pigtails."

-Anything else?-

"The other wimps are still a blank, no matter how hard I try to remember them. Though, I do remember meeting them in an alleyway on Balbo St. But they could've come from either the neighborhoods nearby or somewhere else. I never got the chance to find out."

-Then I'll start from there. Thank you very much.- Wave then closed off the mental connection and ran straight for the Balbo St. alleyway. Since she was a mutant, traversing such a great distance didn't take much longer than two hours. After arriving in the alley, Wave searched around for any further clues. "Hmph. Nothing here but a load of stupid scratch marks…what?" Wave's eyes discovered the card shop, a peak through the windows provided no interest. "Go figure. Too bad I don't have x-ray vision. I better keep this place in mind for next time." Wave ran out further and reached Polk St. Fortunately for everyone residing there, especially the kids, she discovered another dilemma for herself. Great, Wave thought, The Cardz could be hiding anyplace. To destroy houses she knew little or nothing about would be foolish, for the Cardz might not be here. And if Wave caused a disturbance too soon, she'd be exposed. Just then, she scrambled into the bushes to let a patrol car pass by.

"You see anything strange?" one officer asked.

"Nope," the other responded. Even after the car was out of sight, Wave remained hidden within the foliage. Looks like I better call it a night, she thought, I can do more tomorrow. So she dozed off in a snap.

The next morning, Wave arose as the sun touched down upon the pavement pathway. But she had to wait two more hours before a school bus other than her mom strolled down and picked up various kids. Wave snuck around from bush to bush and studied each child. Alright, she thought, Beef said that one of them wore a blue dress and had orange hair tied in pigtails. Evidently, it'd take a mental Venn diagram to sort out every kid boarding the bus. Several girls had on blue dresses that day, and others fit the other descriptive piece of the puzzle. Wave never got the chance to sort through the mess before the bus shoved off towards 9th Street Chicago Elementary. But the audible mutant followed along, hiding wherever she could and staying out of sight as much as possible. Not long after, the bus finally reached the school. "Okay, everybody off!" the bus driver announced. The students all stampeded off the bus before Wave got another chance to check them.

"Nuts! At this rate, it'll take an eternity before Mom comes hunting me down!"

However, not even complaining stopped Wave from taking subtle action. As the day progressed on, she hid in a bush and snuck her way towards Lillian Nekron's classroom. As with a commando out on a battlefield, she inched her way closer and stopped only when it appeared as if someone suspected anything. However, even though Wave did well in sneaking nearer and nearer, it was too late to prevent suspicion. Lillian once again assigned her students an assignment that required grouping. As that happened, the five kids secretly known as the Cardz stopped and stared out the window. "That's funny," Yuri commented, "I don't remember a bush being there before."

"Hmmm…" Zenith began, but there wasn't any time for that. The kids had themselves an assignment, and of course, school was their second-biggest responsibility next to fighting evil. Nobody noticed Wave moving up to the window.

"Good. Now that I'm here, it's time for me to get to know the Cardz a little better." As she spoke, Wave popped out her mechanical eyeball, which conveniently floated seven feet up in the air and acted as a camera. "Zoom in!" In response, the eye unveiled a lens and zoomed up to the classroom full of students, surpassing the window. It scanned the scene for a moment until it picked up sight of a certain girl whom Beef described the night before. "When Beef said something about a blue dress, she must've meant a jumper. And that orange hair tied in pigtails completes the picture. But..." The eyeball picked up Tabitha's voice for confirmation. "Duel Damage. Perfect voice match. That girl is Duel Dune!" Wave's eye scanned Tabitha's friends, telling the mutant that she wouldn't need mind-reading powers. "More voice matches, same physics, same social closeness…those three are Tenku, Digiball, and Captor Corporal. Wait, they suspect something." Nobody heard Wave talking to herself, but the kids could've sworn that they saw the bush ruffle and take a new position.

"Mondo strange," Laurel commented, "Does that bush look closer?" The kids stood up from their seats and walked on over to the window for a closer look. Wave was stiff, too fearful of being discovered early to put up a a shield. Just then, Lillian joined the group and interrogated.

"What's wrong, children?"

"Ms. Nekron, where'd this bush come from?" Dana asked.

Lillian looked for herself but couldn't explain it. "Beats me. But let's not worry about that right now. Don't forget the assignment." The others just let it be, but Zenith stared on for ten more seconds before joining her friends. Wave breathed a sigh of relief.

"No doubt about it, that last twerp was the leader Pokéskid." Wave's eyeball floated on back to its socket, and the mutant snuck around the school and hid well camouflaged in a hedge suited to her size while plotting. "I won't attack 'em just yet. I still need more time to plan."

As the rest of the school day passed on by, the kids remained unaware of the doom soon to befall them. Even Zenith forgot about her suspicions on the bush. It wasn't until afternoon when the group found themselves walking into the very alley where Kensho and Akira discovered the incident. They didn't plan on staying too long before heading to the card shop. "Coming here sure brings back memories," Tabitha noted.

"You said it," Laurel agreed, "And wouldja look at that!" The Kenyan girl pointed to the same scratches they left behind after the same incident. Ever since then, nobody bothered patching up those ever-present markings.

"Nifty!" Yuri said, "Our mark on this wall is still intact!" Suddenly, the alley became a gristly scene as smoke poured in and concealed the preteens. They coughed, gagged, tried waving it off.

"What's with this smoke!" Dana cried, "I can't see or breathe!"

"Yeah, where's the fire!" Laurel added.

"Something tells me that's no fire!" Zenith said.

"Hey!" Tabitha called, "Why can't I move my arms or legs?" As the smoke cleared, the answer to the Mandarin girl's question became clear as glass. The kids were now shackled against the opposite wall not with metal or ice but black gassy clouds.

"What's going on around here?" Laurel cried.

"**I** am!" The kids looked up and found Wave leaping from the opposing building and landing right in front of them. "So, we meet at last!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuri asked, "And whaddaya want with us kids?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Cardz! I spied on you at school from that bush up against your classroom!" Immediately, Zenith remembered the mystery earlier and didn't intend on hiding anything.

"I thought I smelled gunk. I just didn't think it would take this long for you or your mother to learn."

"My mom still doesn't know who you are, and I could seriously care less. That's the thing about you heroes: You're always unaware of conflicts strictly involving your enemies, or infighting."

"Good point," Dana reluctantly agreed, "Can't argue with that."

"We gotta pull ourselves together and do something!" Tabitha cried.

"No good," Zenith said, "If none of us can move our limbs, we can't transform into the Cardz."

"That's right, suckers! Mom's supposed to be the queen of Chicago's criminal empire, yet she's too weak and stupid to search and destroy you herself. Oh well, it's never too late to fix a problem like this." Having finished her speech, Wave unleashed giant supersonic waves upon the helpless kids. The world seemed to distort around them.

"Uhhhhhhhh…" Yuri babbled, saliva bubbling from her mouth.

"Ohhhhhhh," Laurel groaned, "It feels like my brain's gonna pop outta my head for real."

"Yep!" Wave said, still emitting waves, "Soon enough, every bone and organ in your body will rip out and leave a mess on the streets. I'm going down in infamy!" Indeed, it certainly seemed the mutant's words would come to pass. However, just because the kids were immobile, it didn't affect their same favorite cards that absorbed some of Jenga's gas on the very first day and turned them into superheroes for the first time. Those same cards emitted flashes of light from the kids' pockets, floated out, and destroyed the waves. "What the? This can't be right! If I could move my fingers, I'd snap them in frustration!" Suddenly, the cards landed upon the kids' chests and created so immense a flash that it sent Wave into an airborne parabola and sprawling into Burnham Park. The mutant stood back up and found herself face to face with the Cardz, a battle that would prove to be her last. "How could that happen? I had you dorks right where I wanted you!"

"It seems our cards have minds of their own," Pokéskid explained, "They weren't about to let you win."

"And now that that's settled, it's time we learned you a thousand tricks like we did those terrorists," Tenku finished. And for the second time in Wave's unnatural life, she got the chance to show them what she was made of as well as receive some from them. Too, the Cardz also noticed a dramatic change in the mutant. It was pretty clear that she'd grown much stronger from the last encounter. However, both she and Jenga failed to notice the same thing from the heroes.

"You're strong, but I'm stronger!" Wave retorted between blows.

"That's what you think!" Captor Corporal shot back, "Storm card!"

"Behold the power of anime!" Digiball added, "Fox Tail Inferno!" Frankly, this battle pretty much resembled Wave's first that the two may as well be one and the same. Just like before, the sharp-toothed amplifier always shrugged off whatever blast came her way. Ten times had the Cardz dodged her razor-sharp claws to avoid getting shredded like cuttlefish. Strangely enough, despite her low nature, Wave bothered not using underhand techniques; she simply wanted to get the job done! Both sides soon retreated since this got them no place.

"You can't defeat me, Cardz! I got enough energy to send this town flying!"

"It's too bad you're anything but a stereotype," Duel Dune commented, "Otherwise, you'd blab out the secret to your higher power. That's nothing compared to the Wave we remember."

"Ain't it the truth! Even though I disobeyed Mom's orders and came out here myself, I simply don't have the heart to fully tell secrets. And yet, you couldn't find the answer if it lay in all the monsters we sent your way."

"What're you jabbering about?" Digiball demanded, "Tell us!"

"After I destroy you!" Immediately, the fight resumed as Wave fired another wave upon the Cardz, which they promptly dodged. It was clear that this mutant meant final business, so the heroes crafted another technique as they flew about her head. One by one, the heroes flew towards the mutant and through her. If Wave tried attacking one, another went through her and seemingly only annoyed her even further. At long last, it all came to a halt as the Cardz stood vigil and stared the mutant down for the final time.

"Our fight is officially over," Captor Corporal announced.

"Wrong again, kiddies! It's over when **I** say it's over!"

"Yeah, Cell said the very same thing back in Season 3," Tenku retorted, "This battle's done, and you're finished."

"Oh, yeah? Then how come I'm still here?" Just then, a giant crack formed straight down Wave's physique. "Huh? No way!" Following this, the mutant ejected the day's third bright flash and began a chain reaction. This was Wave's closing minute, and her metallic form was dying. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" An explosion enveloped the mutant to end it all, in the process temporarily blinding anyone else in the park. Indeed, the Cardz had just defeated one out of two of their major enemies. When the light dimmed, a mere human known as Effy Sanford sat where Wave once stood. Effy looked at herself in shock and frustration. "No way! I can't be a human again!" The Cardz loomed over her ominously.

"Welcome back, Effy Sanford," Duel Dune retorted. This time, the helpless teen's mother wouldn't save her from the police.

"We noticed the commotion occurring around these parts," an officer said, "Now we know why."

"Well, here's your reward," Captor Corporal presented, "The no-good crime princess, Effy Sanford." The police got Effy up off the ground and proceeded to take her away for a very long time.

"So Mom was right: The brats did hide something. ARGH! You'll pay! You'll all pay!" No remarks prevented entry into the dreaded slammer. The Cardz left quickly again. At long last, the creature known as Wave no longer existed. Only Jenga and others remained.

The End


	23. 35: With Friends Like Them

For many people, recent events are like a series of photographs in their heads. That's exactly how the Cardz, their karate teachers, and enemies may as well have felt with all that occurred ever since the time between August and September 2003. It began with a mess of gases mutating various individuals, good and bad, transforming them into something more. This unnatural action was seen back in January of the newly minted 2004, when Jenga made a mutant out of her ever-human daughter, thereby creating a creature by the name of Wave. Recently, however, Wave disobeyed her mother's orders and lost her powers and got turned back into an ordinary human as a price. Speaking of which, Jenga drove up and down the West Side, scheming and faintly sulking at the same time. "I told her to follow my lead. That's the problem with children: They wanna grow up too quickly. It's a good thing I only gave birth to one child." The bus-headed mutant's escapade led her down to a familiar road, by the name of 55th St.

Meanwhile, over at Balbo St., the kids patiently awaited for their senseis' announcements. It'd been analogous to climbing rocks, and they'd learn much from these two notable folks. But Laurel Maize appeared distracted. "So, what's the report?" Zenith asked.

After a minute or two of meditating, the adults opened their eyes and answered the Shawnee's question. "It is hereby confirmed," Kensho announced, "You five have proven yourselves through and through. We've been through it all, and there's nothing more to teach you."

"Nothing at all?" Tabitha said.

"That's right," Akira continued, "We've taught you all that we know."

"So, it's over?" Dana asked.

"That seems to be the case," Kensho replied, "You five can always come over, and we'd be glad to challenge you any time."

"One more thing," Akira added, and she and Kensho produced five rolled-up pieces of paper. The two of them handed out the papers, which turned out to be awards. The kids could only stare on in puzzlement.

"Thanks, but what are they?" Yuri asked.

"Those are your diplomas," Akira explained, "This isn't a true karate school, but the two of us have been inspired by all of this. We might open up a real school of martial arts in the future."

"That sounds like quite a load maintaining a school and a card shop at the same time," Dana commented.

"We'll simply take turns running both," Kensho stated, "Akira and I are always up for a good challenge."

"Well, it's been nice," Dana said as he and the girls rightly bowed, "We better be off now. It's getting pretty late, and there's no telling how worried our parents will get." The kids sauntered out with fewer cares now, but the couple looked concerned.

"Did you notice?" Akira commented, "Laurel didn't have much to say tonight."

And what a mystery that was. While everybody else talked big about graduating from a soon-to-be school, the Kenyan girl remained ever silent the entire time. What could've been the matter? Did this particular day, night, or week held some significance or other in her family? Nobody really discerned until halfway towards Polk St. "Hey, Laurel," Yuri said, "What's up? You've said practically nothing all evening."

"Yeah, aren't you excited to receive a diploma at age 11?" Tabitha added.

"It's not that," Laurel responded.

"Then what?" Zenith asked. In a second response, Laurel withdrew a photograph from her pocket and showed it to her friends. It was a picture of 8-year old Laurel, along with another girl and a boy in outfits as bad as hers. The other girl had dark-brown hair tied in four ponytails, all of which projected from the middle of her head. The boy had no hair whatsoever. And from the looks on the trio's faces, not one of them seemed very pleased with their surroundings. After Laurel received her picture back, the walk became alive with a conversation. This time, Dana wasn't the only one without a clue.

"That one girl with the light-colored hair is obviously you," Yuri noted, "But I don't recognize the others."

"They're my old friends from 55th St.," Laurel stated.

At those words, Zenith brought up a heavier response. "Old friends, huh? You know, all this time we've been friends, you still remain a complete mystery to the rest of us. Wanna share?"

Laurel sighed at her friend's request. "Okay, you got me. Those two kids standing next to me in the photo are a couple of friends I once had before transferring to this part of Chicago. The girl is Madison Roonkery, and that boy is Arjay Plonk. Even though it hasn't been that long, I can still remember their names as if I were hangin' with 'em yesterday."

"You've got my undivided attention," Dana said, "Do continue."

"I might've hung out with the wrong crowd back then, but I saw something in them that no one else could. We got into a lot of mischief and so forth, but we always managed to keep each other's spirits up. Though, compared to the other two, I may as well have been the sweet one just like Dana is in this group. Like me, Madison was an only child living with both parents. But their abuse would explain her nasty attitude towards the rest of the world. Arjay seemed harder to discern because he lived all by his lonesome. I could always see something in his eyes like he wasn't all that bad but tried anyway. Kinda like Vegeta breaking down in tears during the Freeza and Majin Boo sagas. That is, when Frieza bumped 'im off, and when he blew himself up in a vain attempt to destroy Boo."

"That's some story," Tabitha commented, "But then later on, your family moved here."

"No need to interrupt, pal. I remember Mom and Dad's conversation with the boss, thinking that I was tucked away in my warm bed. But I heard it all in secret, and I remember each and every word…"

_Flashback _

It was near the end of March three years back when things took a turn for the better. In a deteriorated house on 55th St., Scott and Andrea Maize discussed business matters with a burly, middle-aged man in the kitchen. Despite his size and position, the man spoke in a passionate voice. In a bedroom on the opposite side of the wall, Laurel listened intently through a tiny hole. She heard the adults mention money management and relocating to a new house. "You two are by far the best employees I've ever had. Ever think of opening your own business?"

"Actually, we have," Scott replied, "In fact, we're now saving 75 of our income to do just that."

"That's good. But how about that kid of yours? Is everything going okay with her?"

"Unfortunately, that's the bad news," Andrea said, "Laurel's been hanging out with the wrong crowd for two-and-a-half years now. She dresses funny, behaves foolishly, and her grades are awful. I'm not sure what to do with her anymore."

"Not trying to pry here, and I'm not calling you bad parents, but what steps have you taken to help her?"

"Counseling and sending her to various camps haven't helped a bit," Scott said, "And we're afraid if we send Laurel to military school, she might harden beyond our aid. Yet, that may be the only choice we have anymore."

"I see." The boss' next words would change the Maize family's lives forever. "You know, I got a secret to tell you: I'm also a real-estate agent. In fact, I got me an empty house on Polk St. in downtown Chicago nobody's bought yet."

"If only it were that simple," Andrea put in, "In order to move, we'd use up the money we've saved and go back to the beginning. But if we start a business here, military school or these terrible neighborhoods will eat our baby up."

"Not necessarily. That's what you got me for. Just because I'm a boss doesn't make me insensitive. I'm only gruff when I need to be, and when it comes to family matters, I always lend a helping hand. Anything to make up for not mentioning it sooner." Staring into their boss' eyes, how could the Maize couple refuse his offer? If he said he could help, then that's exactly what he'd do.

"Well, that's one juicy steak of an offer," Scott commented, "How 'bout the schools?"

"9th St. Chicago Elementary and High School are the best there is over there, with highly educated and friendly school officials. Plus, the neighborhoods excel at all sorts of friendly faces. Just leave it all to me, and you'll also be set up in your own business in no time flat."

"It's a deal," Andrea decided, and she shook hands with the boss. Hope in their eyes, she and Scott were more than ready to start life anew at a different section of town. As for Laurel, she didn't bother listening to any further comments. In bed and staring up at the ceiling, the Kenyan girl bore a somewhat depressed look on her face. She was little and had lived on the West Side from birth, so she didn't quite understand the idea of starting all over. The next several days after the talk passed on by with little fuss until the day Laurel met Zenith.

_End Flashback _

"Criminy," Dana commented, "To think even our report back at the beginning of the second semester wasn't enough."

"I just wish the rest of us learned sooner," Yuri agreed.

"Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk," Zenith said as the group parted ways towards their respective houses, "See you tomorrow!" Each preteen waved goodbye and stepped through their front doors. As soon as she arrived inside, Laurel went directly to her room and pulled the photograph out while nobody was looking. Before eating dinner and going straight to bed, she stared the picture down for a minute or so. Andrea's calling from the dining room snapped her out of the trance.

"Laurel! Time for dinner, sweetie!"

"And don't forget to wash up!" Scott added.

Laurel walked towards her bed and slipped the photograph underneath. As she departed the room, she looked at the bed and gave a farewell sentence to that inanimate picture. "Sorry, you two. But I gotta move on." Laurel then shut the door behind and joined her parents. Like the jock mentioned before, she saw something inside of those two kids that exceeded everyone else's eyes.

Far over on 55th St., a married couple found themselves stranded in the blackness of the night. Their car had broken down for no apparent reason in the middle of a desolate neighborhood. Trash covered the streets. Every building around was in disrepair. All sorts of lowlifes could be hiding anywhere and watching them. It'd be a miracle if the couple survived the bad West Side. "Huh," the wife commented, judging her surroundings, "We sure picked a bad place to get stranded."

"Don't worry," the husband reassured, "I'll just call a tow truck, and we'll be out of here in no time. Let's keep our wits about ourselves." Tragically, in the alleyway upon which their car broke down in front of, an ominous pair saw it all and prepared to make a move. Laurel would flip her lid if she caught sight of their faces. Yes indeed, they were none other than Madison Roonkery and Arjay Plonk. With the due exception of the boy growing just a carpet of hair on his head, neither delinquent showed much change over the three-year period. As with any punk on city streets, these two were up to no good plotting the couple's downfall.

"Why're we doin' this again?" Arjay whispered.

"Because they're mussin' up our turf," Madison replied, "Now nix the questions. Get ready to shoot to kill." The two withdrew firearms and didn't get much further with the scheme. Before either could step out, a tentacle slowly wrapped around each waist. "Hey, whaddaya think yer doing? Get yer arm offa me."

"I could ask the same thing. How 'bout you get your arm off me?"

"I ain't doin' nuttin'."

"Then who…?" But before the conversation continued, the punks felt themselves flow out of the opposite end of the alley into greater blackness. The dropping of guns and pounding of trashcans and other items startled the couple even more.

"Dear, I'm not sure I can take much more," the wife said, "Maybe we should leave our car behind and get a new one." Fortunately, a tow truck came to their rescue with the operator lending a helping hand.

"Looks like that won't be necessary," the husband replied.

What of the two punks? Coincidentally, they and Jenga happened to be the only criminals full of vim tonight. Every other lawbreaker apparently felt sleepiness crawl upon him or her. And speaking of Jenga, the punks met her as she unwrapped them after dragging them several feet into Westchester Woods as quietly as possible. Whereas Arjay was as surprised as any other common criminal to meet the crime queen herself, Madison bore such a tough skin that made her feel as if she met a puny pebble. "So nice to come across you two," Jenga commented.

"Oh, sweetness," Arjay declared in his regular voice, "This has got to be a dream. I've never met you once in my entire life."

"What's the big deal?" Madison questioned, "It's just that thing with a bus for a head."

"Young lady, I wouldn't be so quick to shoot my tongue off if I were you," Jenga warned.

"I don't care if you're a queen or not. You mind telling us why you spoiled our fun just now? And while we're on the subject, where's that toothy machine that always hangs out with you?"

"Wave is currently indisposed right now. I brought you here because I'm willing to give you anything you want." With this negligent pair, this new conversation wouldn't have to last long. Arjay immediately skipped to the main part.

"Say no more, Your Highness. I'd love ta have cool powers like everyone else you've done in the past."

"Well, I have been getting tired of my old man and woman spittin' on me constantly," Madison admitted, "What's the catch?"

"I will give you superpowers on the condition that you recognize me as your ultimate superior. That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"It's a done deal." Madison then abruptly shook one of Jenga's tentacles, signifying the pact. Then she and Arjay got into position for the mutant to do her stuff. "Okay, diamond lady, do your worst. We won't even move from this spot."

"I shall indeed." Jenga breathed her green gases upon the punks, who gladly accepted the growing pains associated within. An act that hadn't been done since the tournament incident several weeks back, Madison and Arjay felt the same way as everyone else who'd received powers from the bus-headed mutant. When the glowing stopped, the punks shook their heads from a headache and stood firmly upon the grass.

"Woo hoo!" Arjay exclaimed, "I feel like a million bucks!"

"Keep it down, loudmouth," Madison ordered, "You want the cops ta hear ya?"

"My work here's done. I'm off."

"Hold up there, queen," Arjay said, "I got one more request."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Drive up Polk St. and find our friend Laurel Maize. You can't miss the tan-colored hair and yellow t-shirt."

"How do you remember her so well after all these years?"

"We saw her performance onstage not long ago," Madison explained, "That girl's gotten soft all this time. Tell 'er she's invited to a little homecoming party on 55th tomorrow." Jenga acknowledged and drove away. The two punks then faced each other, nodded their heads, and zoomed back to their home streets. Madison was more than ready not only to test out her new powers, but also to march around and give people a bigger piece of her mind, starting with her insensitive parents. But if anyone who might've been awake knew no better, all who noted the strange twinkle in Arjay's eyes might detect possible guilt. But things were settled, and there was no stopping his frustrated friend.

The next day, which happened to be a Saturday, the kids pranced about on their street instead of watching television. Between band practice, brushing up on card game techniques, and finishing lessons with Akira and Kensho, the group seriously needed another break. To make this pastime official, Yuri suggested a traditional kiddie game. "Let's play tag!"

"Okay!" Tabitha agreed, "I'm 'it' first!" The others kids chased the Mandarin girl about the neighborhood and straight into Zenith's backyard which straightforwardly bore a gigantic arrangement of colorful plant life. Snapdragon and Nadir had apparently left for the latter's dentist appointment. In the clear center of it all, Tabitha ran around in a circle with her friends hot on her trail. Still ever playful, it all came crashing down as the others switched directions and ran into their Chinese friend, collapsing into a giggling lump on the ground. Afterwards, the kids stood up and brushed themselves off.

"That was fun," Dana said, "Now who's 'it'?" But before anyone had a chance to volunteer, Jenga's tentacles rose over the fence from out of sight and wrapped around their waists, giving a good reason for slight surprise.

"Huh," Yuri noted, "Interesting accessory."

"Yeah," Laurel said, "Zenith, what's your mother growing these days?"

"These aren't plants," Zenith said, "They're tentacles, and one guess whom they belong to." At that, the kids were uplifted out of the yard and onto the street, as Jenga pulled both the group and her appendages up close. Her usual shields extended to nobody else.

"Jenga," the kids confirmed in unison.

"Once again, it feels good to know how much my reputation precedes me."

"Then you'll be happy," Tabitha said, "We know all about you. We watch you on TV as well as off, all the time."

Keeping the voice recognition secret, Jenga faced Laurel. "I haven't much time to waste. Are you the one they call Laurel Maize?"

"What if I am?"

"I'll take that as a yes." Jenga then set the kids down and reverted to her vehicle form. "You're cordially invited to a homecoming party on 55th St. And I'll say this in a whisper: If you value your life so much, you'll come along quietly and by yourself. Your friends aren't on the guest list."

Laurel turned to the others for reference. Transforming into the Cardz right now would end it for all they knew. The group would then have to kiss their loved ones goodbye. "Well, whadda the rest of you think?" It didn't take long for the others to come up with an answer.

"Better do as she says," Zenith said, winking her eye, "Don't worry, we'll get help." Yuri, Tabitha, and Dana saw this and shook their heads in agreement. Without further ado, Laurel stepped inside Jenga and received the ride of her life. Upon their departure (during which Jenga's shields excluded the remainder), Zenith nodded to the others and led them back into her backyard.

Down along the road, Laurel hadn't a chance for a view. Jenga's blackened windows appeared as if they could withstand Pelipper's Keen Eye ability. Since this was no ordinary bus, the Kenyan felt funny riding around in an evildoer. "So this is what it's like riding in a supervillain. Every creep you associate with must've been astonished. This sure doesn't happen every day!"

"Enjoy it while you can, little girl. One wrong word or move, and it'll be your only time."

Laurel shrugged. "Okay, you're the boss."

In seconds flat, Jenga drove up and parked in front of the same alleyway in the same spot that the couple from last night got stranded in. Laurel casually stepped out as the mutant quickly left the scene. The girl walked on down the sidewalk, observing and shuddering at various sights. Groups of youthful gangsters whispered amongst themselves, and some even pointed at Laurel and smirked. The dark-skinned girl simply glared back with no other motions. Not far off, one could make out the sound of another married couple screaming at each other angrily. As Arjay and Madison snuck along, the latter recognized the voices as her parents. "Are you sure about this?" Arjay asked.

"Of course. They're my parents after all." Madison casually walked up to the door and busted it down, halting the argument. The parents immediately forgot what they were arguing about and turned their hatred upon their only offspring.

"Well, well," the father angrily retorted, "Look what little freak of nature decided to show her little face."

"I'm not afraid of either of you anymore."

"And what's that supposed to mean, you little wastebasket?" the mother added. In response, Madison's eyes glowed red. The parents then instantaneously switched from hate to fear. Their daughter's next words signified their demise.

"Long…live…the family." In a split second, the house got blown sky high with nothing remaining but Madison standing in the center of it all. Upon the explosion, Arjay suffered no damage but recoiled in shock. Unbeknownst to both, Laurel heard everything and rushed forward.

"Yeesh!" Arjay said, "Next time, gimme a warning before you pull that off!"

"Quit whining." Madison's eyes then darted towards Laurel. "Oh, look who decided to join the party." Arjay turned around and saw his old friend as well, and Madison gave the first greeting.

"Long time, no see," Laurel greeted, "Figures you two finally snapped."

"You've certainly gotten fresh over the years," Madison continued, "But there's still a way out. All ya hafta do is ditch this new look and admit your roots, and Jenga'll supply everything else." But Laurel didn't allow Madison's offer to sink in; she'd already made up her mind a long time ago. Recalling her parents' private discussion with their boss, Laurel understood that they made the right decision to move away.

"Sorry, no dice. I don't associate with anyone named Jenga, and I never will."

"You sure?" Arjay added, "You may have moved, but you're still the same girl that hung out with us. Everything could be like old times."

"You're wrong, Arjay. I'm glad the old me is long gone. Madison, it's very understandable that your parents hated your guts. And Arjay, I'm truly sorry that you had no family to look to. I don't expect either of you to listen, but it really is a sad thought that you two never experienced true care and friendship same as me. I sympathize for you both."

"Brave words for a softy," Madison shot out, "Let's see if we can't bring forth the old Laurel." The female punk charged for her old friend and unleashed a barrage of successful punches and kicks. Since Madison had superpowers now, Laurel just couldn't keep up. Arjay stood on the side and watched it all with the same strange look on his face as before. Did Laurel's words sink in and help him finally realize the truth? The day would have to pass on even further before anyone could tell for sure. Meanwhile, Laurel found herself up against a wall, ready to forfeit. "It's a shame you're so soft, 'old friend'. You should've accepted while you had the chance. Oh well." Madison powered up her hand and prepared to open fire. She would've finished Laurel off miserably if a familiar voice never called out.

"Desperado Blaster!" Digiball happened on the scene and unleashed Paildramon's signature attack upon the punk, giving Laurel the chance to skim aside. She and the punks stared upwards as four of the Cardz floated down upon the pavement.

"That'll be quite enough," Captor Corporal ordered, "You leave her alone or else."

Since she and Arjay now had powers, Madison felt no need to be scared. "Yeah, yeah, I know who you are. You're the Cardz."

"Me too," Arjay added, "But only four? Where's the one that has three eyes?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Pokéskid answered, "Smokescreen!" The hero produced a black sphere and tossed it onto the ground, creating a smoky covering. This gave Laurel the opportunity to pull out her favorite card and transform into Tenku. When the smoke cleared, Arjay and Madison found themselves face to face with all five heroes.

"You wanted me, you got me," Tenku said.

Madison had her suspicions and arranged the fight personally. She faced the three-eyed warrior. "You and me, one on one."

"Okay then." The two flew up into the air and began duking it out once more. The other heroes faced the empowered Arjay.

"Looks like that leaves the other option up to us," Duel Dune said. At those words, the West Side became an epicenter for major feuding impacts. Madison and Tenku bombarded each other with everything they could. A blast here, a Masenko there, it felt like the beating of ten rock-n-roll bands within an underground cave. In fact, someone might even compare this to the time when the Cardz faced the delinquents who took on the forms of their made-up characters. Speaking of which, the others' fight with Arjay didn't go much anywhere. The male punk delivered some slight blows, blocked major attacks like Cold Wave and Pin Missile, but nothing more. The four heroes almost saw it in his eyes.

"Yer pretty good fer a softy," Madison repeated, "You got powers now, but I'm still stronger!"

"What're you jabbering about?" Tenku questioned.

"Don't play dumb with me, Laurel. I still recognize yer stench from years back. In fact, I taught you everything I know!"

"Yeah, but you didn't teach me how to fight!" Back on the ground, the seemingly secret look in Arjay's eyes was no longer a secret to the other heroes. They backed up a bit and confronted him with this idea.

"You can't hide it anymore," Captor Corporal informed, "We know what's going on."

"Whaddaya talkin' about?" Arjay interrogatively denied.

"We know you feel guilty about your actions," Pokéskid informed, "You know you feel guilty. Why not cut to the chase and admit it?"

"Nice try. I won't fall for those dumb tricks."

"Millennium Puzzle!" An invisible blast from Duel Dune cracked Arjay's shell of denial, and he confessed his inner colors.

"Alright, you got me. I mean no one harm, I'm just along for the ride. But it's not like I got anywhere else ta go. Ever know what it's like just growing up on the streets with no family? Madison's the first friend I ever had, and Laurel was our first outside sympathizer."

"Then turn yourself 180º around and deliver some tough love to Madison if you care so much for her," Digiball instructed.

Suddenly, Tenku delivered what should've been a finishing blow and sent Madison sprawling onto the pavement. Arjay ran up towards her and lent his own aid. "Madison, are you alright?" But the girl just stared up in frustration. Arjay held out his hand. "Madison, can't we just stop this and get some real help? I know how you feel, but this ain't right." No response came just yet. "You hear me? We're going about it the wrong way. Hurting others ain't the answer." Madison continued staring until she surprised Arjay by abruptly grabbing his hand and standing up from the ground. Next, she betrayed him by draining his powers.

"Thanks fer the boost. Now if you'll excuse me, I ain't letting traitors muck up my day." Madison then tossed Arjay over her head and towards an apartment building. He would've perished if Captor Corporal didn't catch him in the nick of time.

"It's not your fault," the disguised Hispanic reassured.

Madison focused her attention upon Tenku for what would be the final time. "I'm sick and tired of playing around!"

"Should've listened to 'im when you had the chance," Tenku said, "But I guess Android 16's words to Gohan ring true even in real life."

"Enough! Let's see you block this!" Focusing all power and strong emotions into one central unit, Madison gathered everything she had and unleashed a major blast upon Tenku. But the transformed Kenyan saw this and counterattacked.

"Kamehameha!" Similar to Goku keeping Majin Boo's steam from flowing out, both beams collided in a 3DX surrounding as Tenku became evenly matched with her former friend. Only fatigue could decide the overall outcome of this brawl.

"C'mon!" Pokéskid coached, "Let's help!" The other Cardz flew up and gathered around her, unleashing their own blasts. "Hyper Beam!"

"Windy card!"

"Sonic Destroyer!"

"Ultimate Burst!"

All five attacks overpowered Madison. "AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Gone were her powers in a snap.

Not long after the finishing move, police arrived on the scene to take Madison and Arjay to juvenile hall. Firefighters put out any fires present, and medics searched high and low for injured victims. Madison of course reluctantly cooperated, her glare never ceasing. But Arjay chose to stay a bit longer. "Before you take me in, can I have word with the Cardz alone?" The officers exchanged glances.

"Be quick." Arjay stepped to the side and gave the heroes more of his own input.

"Sorry it has to be like this," Tenku said.

"That's alright, I ain't complaining. It's better this way. I acknowledge my mistake, and I must pay for it. But as I toldja before, Madison was my first friend. I'm the only one who best understands her."

"I'm not trying to tease or pry, but do you feel for her more than just a simple friend?" Digiball asked.

"Probably. I know there's good inside her, and I'm the only one who can bring it forth. Despite all that's happened today, no matter how much she doesn't wanna admit it, I'm the only light in her life. Madison might've done much worse years back if not fer me."

"I understand," Duel Dune said, "Just like the Ishtar family in Yu-Gi-Oh."

"Come along, you!" another officer called.

"Well, I gotta get goin' now." Arjay faced Tenku one last time, emotion ever present in his eyes. "Laurel, you and yer new friends go on and become somethin' great. Go boldly step where me and Madison can't." Tenku nodded; that was the last time she ever saw her old friends.

Hours after the two punks got arrested, Laurel stood on her lawn in calm depression. The others decided to give her time to herself for a while. Like Yuri on April Fools' Day, this event left her drained. She stared at the distant skyline wondering if she'd ever forget today's occurrences several weeks from now. "Hey, Laurel!" Dana called out, the others joining their Kenyan friend.

"Hey, everybody."

"Can you withstand our company now?" Zenith asked.

"I suppose. I said this before, and I'll say it again: Nobody saw in those two like I did. If Madison's attitude wasn't so gruff, you all could've had a chance to know her better. But it's too late now."

"That's alright," Yuri assured, "You've still got us."

Laurel gave a half-smile at those words. "Thanks. Still, I think their downfall deserves a reverent moment of silence."

"By all means," Tabitha said. Right then and there, the preteens lowered their heads, closed their eyes, and mourned silently. Why, they never even paid attention to the bus passing on by. For a third shock, that bus turned out to be none other than the notorious and suspicious Jenga. She caught a glimpse of the mourning as she drove on.

"Mourn all you wish, little ones," she spoke silently and balefully to herself, "The worst is yet to come." What exactly Jenga meant by that statement would reach the whole of Chicago before even the stars could predict. As with any impending doom, facing the extent of Jenga's power was only a matter of time.

The End


End file.
